Grilled Sausage, Polenta & Arugula Salad

It was 80 degrees here the other day...in April! It's not like we live in the south. This type of weather this time of year is strange but it's a welcome surprise after the winter we have had. Warm weather means open up the barbecue and grill something good.

I pulled out some cookbooks and began my search of a recipe for the grill. I love America's Test Kitchen and am so glad I turned to their Quick Family Cookbook because now I have an awesome recipe to share with you. It's a complete dinner and you and your family will love it. Don't be scared by the polenta like I was. It was so good!

Here's what you do.

Grilled Sausage, Polenta, and Arugula Salad

Adapted from "The America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook"

Serves 4 - 6

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup) 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 

1 garlic clove, minced 

Salt and pepper 

1 (18-ounce) tube precooked polenta, sliced 1/2 inch thick 

1 1/2 pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage (6 to 8 links), pricked all over with fork 

12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved if small or quartered if large 

5 ounces (5 cups) baby arugula 

1. Whisk Parmesan, oil, vinegar, rosemary, and garlic together in large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush 3 tablespoons of dressing over polenta; reserve remaining dressing for salad. 

FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high. 

2. Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Place sausages and polenta rounds on grill. Cook, turning as needed, until sausages and polenta are lightly charred on all sides and sausages are no longer pink in center, about 6 minutes. (Handle polenta gently to avoid breaking.) Transfer sausages and polenta to platter. 

3. Drizzle polenta with 2 tablespoons of remaining dressing. Add tomatoes and arugula to remaining dressing and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve sausages and polenta with salad.

NOTE: I used a ring of thin sausage and cut it into pieces because it's just what I prefer but feel free to use whatever you prefer. The polenta turned out to be amazing. I'm not going to lie - I was a little afraid of using it but I'm glad that I did. Did you know that polenta is gluten-free and fat-free?

Hope you enjoy this one. It's a great way to celebrate the warmer weather and heat up your grill!

xo, Stephanie