More salad time …. and I have to say that I am prepared for the jokes …. this is Wurstsalat. Not the worst salad (it’s actually really good!), but Bayerischer Wurstsalat, Bavarian-Style Sausage Salad. Sure, might seem a little strange to make a salad out of sausage, but it’s yummy, refreshing and easy to make, something perfect for a Brotzeit (translation: savory snack or light meal), something that you would eat at a biergarten. There are actually many styles, predominantly from Bavaria and Switzerland, but also Austria, Swabia and even parts of France. Some include cheese as well, some have mayo. Load it only a piece of hearty bread or with a pretzel. In my part of the US, the sausage types are more limited (though that might not be the case with larger German-heritage populations) but I made do with German bologna. So bring on the worst jokes, I’ll keep eating!
Ingredients
12 oz deli pork sausage (see note below)
3-4 medium dill pickles (see note below)
1 small to medium red onion
chives, chopped, to taste
1 tablespoon sherry or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pickle juice
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
If the sausages have casing, remove them and julienne the sausage (i.e slice them into thin strips). In this case, I used thickly sliced deli bologna, which took just seconds to cut. Thinly cut the onion into circles or semi-circles. Slice or julienne the dill pickles. Finely chop the chives. In a small bowl whisk
together the vinegar, pickle juice, vegetable oil and salt and pepper. In a salad bowl, place all the ingredients from step 1 (reserve a bit of chives for garnish). Gently mix everything together. Let marinate for 10-15 minutes. Transfer the sausage salad to a serving plate/bowl and garnish with the reserved chives.
Enjoy with soft pretzels or fresh bread rolls.
Notes: Traditionally Wurstsalat is made with German lyoner or bierwurst. In the US, try it with cooked kielbasa, cooked German beerwurst or bratwurst, bologna or mortadella. If you have access to German pickles, they are great here. Common brands of German pickles in the US are Hengstenberg, Gundelsheimer or Kühnle.
