Grilled Chicken Sausage Salad with Honey-Mustard Dressing

Makes 4 to 6 servings


Active time: 30 minutes


Start to finish: 55 minutes

VARIATIONS

Substitute Spicy Thai Sausage for turkey sausage and substitute hoisin sauce for honey and rice vinegar for cider vinegar.

Nuggets of grilled chicken sausage atop a salad napped with an old-fashioned honey and mustard dressing. Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

Salad:

6 to 9 cups bite-sized pieces salad greens of your choice, rinsed and dried

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and cut into thin slices

1 small red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into thin rings

1 pound Turkey, Apple and Sage Sausage links, Thanksgiving Turkey Sausage links, or purchased raw poultry sausage

Dressing:

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill.

2. Arrange lettuce, carrots, green pepper, and onion on individual plates or on a serving platter. Combine honey, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well, add olive oil, and shake well again. Set aside.

3. Prick sausages with a fork, and grill, turning them gently with tongs, for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on diameter, or until cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Allow sausages to rest for 5 minutes, and then cut into 1/2-inch thick slices.

4. To serve, arrange sausage pieces on top of the salad, and drizzle dressing over all.

Note: Sausage and dressing can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat sausage, uncovered, in a 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot and crisp. Allow dressing to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes if chilled.