Sausage and Walnut Salad from Lyon

An unexpectedly refreshing appetizer from France’s capital of charcuterie.

Let me be honest: tossing cured meat in vinaigrette was never high on my list of things to do in the kitchen – that is, until I lived in Lyon. It was during my student days that I discovered this humble but brilliant Sausage salad in a Bouchon, one of Lyon’s famously unpretentious bistros. The menu was handwritten on a big chalkboard, the wine was a house red served in a pot Lyonnais - and there, between the traditional Salade de Lentilles and the Cervelle de Canut*, I spotted a salad I’d never heard of: Salade de Saucisson.

(*Cervelle de Canut is a traditional herbed cheese spread from Lyon. A recipe you can find in my cookbook Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.)

Thick slices of sausage, glistening with a mustardy vinaigrette, tossed with a scattering of toasted walnuts, and a handful of cornichons. One bite and I was hooked. It was salty, tangy, nutty, and surprisingly refreshing—a far cry from the heavy image “French charcuterie” usually conjures.

Since that first encounter, this sausage salad has become a regular guest at my table– especially given my husband’s love for charcuterie. Needless to say, he loves this salad!

It’s a recipe I make all year round, but I think it’s a truly perfect summer starter—it’s easy to prepare, and best served chilled or just above room temperature. You can serve it alongside other veggie salads or even tuck it in bread to make a sandwich.

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More French Salads to try:

• Green Bean Potato Salad

• French-style Rice and Tuna Salad

• French Grated Carrot Salad (Carottes rapées)

• Piemontaise Potato Salad

• French Egg Salad

• Classic French Lentil Salad

• Cucumber Salad with crème fraiche

• Classic French Celery Root Remoulade

• Classic Parisian Salad (Salade Parisienne)

• French Lentil Salad with tomatoes and cucumbers

• Warm Goat Cheese Salad

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Onto the recipe…