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Grilled Sausage and Potato Salad with Sauerkraut

Grilled Sausage and Potato Salad with Sauerkraut

This Alsatian inspired salad highlights quality Toulouse sausages and baby yellow fleshed potatoes, which are grilled to perfection, and then combined with tender and bright sauerkraut, greens and a mustard vinaigrette.  It's a lightened up version of Choucroute Garni for the summertime

Course Main Course
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 links of duBreton Toulouse sausages
  • 16-20 baby yellow fleshed potatoes 4-5 per person, depending on size or make more and have leftovers!
  • 1 1/4 cups packed sauerkraut rinsed and drained
  • 2 tbsp white wine
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds optional
  • 2 large handfuls (about 3 cups) of arugula , baby gems or mizuna greens
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced red onion, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes to soften their texture and flavour
  • 3 medium radishes sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill torn

Vinaigrette (makes about 1 1/4 cups)

  • 2 large shallots, peeled and minced finely
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme finely chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove finely grated or minced
  • 3 tbsp champagne vinegar, can be substituted with white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp grainy mustard
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

To prepare the Sausages

  1. Place the sausages into a large pot or saucepan and fill it with enough cold water to just cover the sausages.
  2. Put the pot on the stove, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook just until the water reaches a gentle simmer—that should take about 6-8 minutes.
  3. Turn off the heat and get those sausages out of the pot. The sausages are now cooked through, tender, and ready for step two, grilling.

  4. Let them cool down. Carefully, using a sharp, serrated knife, slice them in half lengthwise.

  5. Set aside on a platter.

To prepare the Potatoes

  1. Place the potatoes into a pot of well salted water. Cover. Bring to a boil.

  2. Reduce heat to medium, keeping a rolling simmer. Leaving cover slightly ajar, cook for about 10 minutes, or until a knife just slides easily into a potato.

  3. Remove from heat, drain and set aside to cool a bit.

  4. When cooled down, using 4 metal skewers, skewer 4-5 onto each skewer, leaving enough room to grip the end with. Place these on the platter with the sausages.

To prepare the Sauerkraut

  1. Place the rinsed and drained sauerkraut into a medium sized pot, with just enough water to cover it, and add the white wine.

  2. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for a good 5 or so minutes to soften the cabbage. Drain well and add caraway seed (if using) and fresh cracked pepper. Set aside to come to room temperature.

Grill the Sausage and Potatoes

  1. Preheat your grill to 400F or medium high. (alternatively, you can use a grill pan on the stove top)

  2. When heated through, place the sausages, interior side down onto the grill.
  3. Place the skewers of potatoes along side the sausages.
  4. Turn after 5 or so minutes, checking the underside carefully to ensure that the grill marks are there. The potato skins should be just starting to get burnished.
  5. Once both sides of the sausages are grilled, removed from the heat.
  6. Turn the potatoes till each side is browned and crisped. Remove from heat and add to the sausages.

Prepare the Salad

  1. Cut the sausages in half (only if you want to, not necessary)

  2. Cut the potatoes into thirds or 4 slices (if larger) and place in a bowl.  Dress with about 3 tbsp of vinaigrette.  Toss. This will give the potatoes a head start in soaking up the flavours of the vinaigrette.

  3. Place the rinsed and dried greens you are using on a large platter. Scatter the sauerkraut over this.
  4. Place the sausages over the sauerkraut, and then scatter the potatoes over everything.
  5. Scatter red onion slices over these.

  6. Dress everything with another 1/4-1/3 cup of the vinaigrette (as much as you see fit!)

  7. Garnish with radishes and dill.  Add another good grinding of fresh black pepper.

  8. This would be amazing with a good chilled Hefeweizen or crisp Riesling!

Recipe Notes

The dressing can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge. Remove from the fridge a good half hour before you need it to allow the olive oil to get it up to room temperature. The dressing makes enough for several salads, or for any other salads you will be throwing together in the week. It will keep a good month in the fridge.