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

New England

Johnnybread Salad

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. Spray an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Stir muffin mix, eggs and milk until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 18-20 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; 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 2-3 minutes. Add the cornbread cubes and continue cooking until cornbread is starting to crisp, another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the tangy sausage dressing. Slice sausage links into quarter-inch slices. Add to a large skillet, and over medium heat, cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 2-3 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 4-5 minutes. Add the sausages back into the skillet and mix well.

While the dressing is cooking, toss spinach, mushrooms and cornbread mixture in a large salad bowl. Once complete, pour the dressing into the bowl of greens and toss. Evenly divide among serving bowls. Add the chopped, fresh tomatoes on top of the salad when serving. Makes 4-6 servings.

— Chef Jim Bailey is The Yankee Chef and an authority on New England food and its history. He is a respected food columnist from Maine and is married with four children. You can email questions or comments to [email protected] and visit theyankeechef.blogspot.com.