Johnnycake salad with sausage dressing will satisfy meat-lovers

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

Want an easy and flavorful salad this grilling season or any time of year? This Yankee inspired salad is a great entrée as well, but especially suited to prevent you from returning over and over again to the grill-master for another burger.

Corn bread salad with a tangy sausage dressing

1 box (8.5 ounce) corn muffin or
corn bread mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and julienned*
1 green onion, sliced thinly
4 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 green, red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped

Tangy sausage dressing

1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage links
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Stir muffin mix, eggs and milk until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and it springs back in the center when touched. Remove from oven to cool completely. Cut cooled cornbread into cubes and set aside.

In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine and melt over medium-high heat. Add green onion, green pepper and julienned tomatoes. Grill, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cornbread cubes and continue cooking until cornbread is starting to crisp, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare tangy sausage dressing.

Slice sausage links into 1/4-inch slices. Add to a large skillet, over medium heat, and cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning each slice over. With a slotted spoon, remove cooked sausage to a dish and set aside.

Return skillet to heat and add remainder of ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring to lift up sausage fonds from the bottom of the pan and let reduce slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sausages back into the skillet, mix well.

While dressing is cooking, toss spinach, mushrooms and cornbread mixture in a large salad bowl. Pour tangy sausage dressing into the bowl of greens and toss. Evenly divide among serving bowls and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

*You can also simply added chopped, fresh tomatoes on top of salad when serving.

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.