I had been planning to make this all week, and for one reason or another it just didn’t happen. Which is ridiculous, because it was ridiculously easy and took maybe about twenty minutes. It’s also pretty healthy: I found the recipe in Eating Well. I think in the future I might cut back on the vinegar, but Mr. X thought it was perfect as is, so what do I know? The arugula adds a great peppery sharpness, and the chicken sausage I found, Al Fresco Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage, was super excellent and juicy. I suspect there will be more warm potato salads in my future.
Warm Potato and Chicken Sausage Salad
- about 1 pound of red-skinned new potatoes, quartered
- 4 chicken sausages, sliced
- 3 c. coarsely chopped arugula
- 1/3 c. cider vinegar
- 1 T. maple syrup
- 1 T. whole grain mustard
- 1 T. olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Steam the potatoes until they’re soft, about 15 minutes.
In a large skillet, cook the sliced chicken sausage for about five or six minutes, until it’s warmed through and starting to brown. I used fully cooked chicken sausage, but if you’re using a fresh variety, it might take a bit longer to cook through. Toss the potatoes, arugula, and sausage together in a large bowl, and cover to keep warm while you make the vinaigrette.
In the sausage skillet, removed from the heat, mix the vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk together. Pour over the potato and sausage mixture, and toss it all together until the arugula wilts and softens. Season with salt and pepper, and voila: dinner, or a tasty side salad.
I admit this isn’t the most exciting post I’ve written, but that should not reflect poorly on the excitingness of this salad. The vinegar and arugula added bite to the soft blandness of the potatoes, and the flavors of the vinaigrette came together perfectly. This is well worth giving a go in the kitchen, and is especially nice for a weeknight, because it’s so fast. Plus, eating potato salad makes me feel like it’s summer, but the fact that it was warm and full of sausage made it still a wintry kind of dinner, which was nice because it was freaking freezing outside. All thumbs up for this one.