German Sausage, Onion, and Cucumber Salad

This is my attempt to recreate another favorite dish from the past. In 1970, my friends Edith Seay and Chris Rentzel and I went to summer school in Paris. One weekend the three of us went to Lucerne to meet another friend, Richard Newman, who was coming through with a tour group. When I ordered this salad at a restaurant there, I was shocked that there was no lettuce -- I was only  19 and it had never occurred to me that a salad would not be mainly lettuce! It was delicious, though, and I wish I could remember the name of the sausage and what herbs they used in the dressing. I think maybe the sausage was knockwurst -- it was similar to bologna but better. I also have a strong feeling that they used chopped fennel leaves rather than dill. My grocery deli has a fairly decent bologna and I have some fresh dill, so that's what I'm using. There may also have been julienned strips of Swiss cheese.
This is filling enough for a light supper, with buttered rye bread. As I recall, they served it with the sausage in one layer on a plate, then cucumber, then onion, then cheese  -- spread out sort of like an antipasto.

German Sausage, Onion, and Cucumber Salad

1/2 pound deli bologna (or any sausage soft enough to absorb), sliced medium-thin and cut into pieces about
     1 - 1 1/2 inches square
1 onion, sliced very thin, separated into rings and cut in half
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced very thin
(Swiss cheese, cut into thin strips)

Dressing: Equal parts olive oil and lemon juice (or to taste), salt, white pepper, chopped fresh dill or fennel leaves, and a pinch of sugar

Sprinkle cucumber slices lightly with salt and allow to drain on paper towels for 1 - 2 hours. Drain onion slices also. Wash off the salt from cucumber and drain again. In a bowl, combine cucumber, onion, sausage, and cheese (if desired). Add dressing and toss well.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Serve as described above, including only enough dresssing to moisten ingredients.