When I’m hiking in Switzerland, and trudge onto the Sonnenterrasse (sun terrace) of a sturdy old Berghaus (mountain inn), I usually want the hearty local barley soup with a hefty chunk of bread. But, on a hot summer day, I’ll opt for a refreshing Wurstsalat.

The sausage salad is a salad made of cold boiled sausage, cheese, onion, and dressing. A simple pleasure.

For the wurst (sausage), my top choice is the Swiss Cervela – a pork sausage that’s ready to eat cold “as is”. Any fat, mild, pre-cooked sausage will do. In the photo above, I used a Berliner Bockwurst (no Cervela in Japan).

 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

¼ onion, thinly sliced

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp vinegar

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

8-9 oz (220-250g) wurst (see above), thinly sliced

8 oz (220g) Emmentaler cheese, cut into ¼”x½” (5mmx10mm) cubes

 

1. Place the onion slices in a small bowl of cold water and let soak for 10 minutes. This slightly mellows their flavour.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, and mustard.

3. Add the onion, wurst, and cheese. Toss until all are well coated.

Note: Some will add extras, like hard boiled eggs and radishes to this salad, but I find you don’t want anything to fight with the flavour of cheese and wurst. Keep it simple and refreshing. Have a veggie salad separately if you feel you need more vegetable than just sliced onions.