Lighter flavored than our other sausage sandwich recipe, this sandwich includes savory accents that are subtle enough to let the full flavor of the sausage shine through.

Drink Pairings: Miller High Life or Sasaparilla

Ingredients:
Game Sausage (we used Venison Sausage with Demi Glace & Red Wine)
1/8th of a Fennel Bulb per serving
1 heavy pinch Celery Salt
Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
Mayonnaise
Demi Baguettes, Brioche Rolls or Hoagie Rolls

Plus: Pickled Radishes

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cut the fennel bulb in half and pull apart into sections.  Lightly coat them with salt, pepper, and oil.  Put them into a baking dish and roast in the oven until tender.

3. Grill the sausage.

4. Brush the bun with olive oil, butter, or duck fat, and toast or grill.

5. Spread mayonnaise and mustard on the toasted bun, add the sausage, and sprinkle on the celery salt.

6. Top with pieces of the roasted fennel bulb and pickled radish.  Serve.

___________

Browse More:
Sausage Recipes
Venison Recipes

Not enough time for a cassoulet?  Here’s a very simple, yet hearty dish that really takes advantage of the complex flavors found in our game sausages.

 
Ingredients:

A few tablespoons of butter
Fresh sage leaves
Cooked White Beans (we recommend European Soldier Beans)
Venison Sausage or rabbit sausage

Cooking Instructions:
1. Bring the butter to medium-high heat in a saute pan.

2. Once the butter browns, add in the sage.

3. Sizzle the sage in the butter for a minute or two.
4. Add the cooked beans and toss to coat beans with butter and sage.

5. Top with a piece or two of grilled venison sausage or rabbit sausage. Serve.

___________

Browse More:
Sausage Recipes
Bean & Lentil Recipes
Fresh Herb Recipes
Rabbit Recipes
Venison Recipes

Braising is a surprisingly easy cooking technique that can be used to turn affordable cuts of meat into meltingly tender, succulent treats.  The basic idea is to slow roast a tougher cut of meat in a pot with a small amount of flavorful liquid until the connective tissue breaks down and melts into the sauce. 

The braised dish Americans are most familiar with is probably pot roast, but it is also often used for braised lamb shanks, Italian osso bucco, and short ribs.

Check out our Braising Liquid Recipes for some great options, all perfect for this technique.

Basic Braising Technique:

1.  Remove the meat from your refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

2.  Dry off any surface moisture & season the meat with salt & pepper.

3.  Get a thin layer of oil in an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven very hot on the stove.

4.  Carefully lay the meat into the oil and sear it on all sides to develop a flavorful brown crust.

5.  Once all your meat has been seared on all sides, remove it from the pot and set aside.  Reduce the heat to low and add vegetables (often carrots, onions, and celery (aka mirepoix)).

6.  Sweat the vegetables (sauté to release their flavor and aroma, but not take on color) until soft.

7.  Deglaze the plan with a flavorful liquid or combination of liquids.  Commonly used liquids include alcohol (usually red wine, but some recipes may call for beer or fortified wines) and stock or broth.

8.  Gently scrape the bottom of your pan while simmering the liquid to release the flavorful browned bits.  Once the liquid has reduced somewhat, add any herbs (thyme, rosemary and bay leaves are popular choices).

9.  Return the meat to the pan, add the lid, and move it to the stove to slowly cook for several hours over low heat.  Alternatively, you could do your braising in a pressure cooker on the stovetop, which will cook your meat significantly faster. 

Good Meat Cuts for Braising:
Bellies
Cheeks
Ribs (particularly short ribs)
Roasts
Shanks and Osso Bucco

___________

Browse More:
Culinary Techniques
Meat Recipes
Meat Tips & Techniques

This recipe works for as many or as few pieces of osso bucco that you care to put in your dutch oven. The great thing about veal osso bucco is that it comes individually vacuum sealed. So, simply take out the number of pieces that you want, and get started with the below how-to:

Basic Steps:
1. Pat the osso bucco dry.

2. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

3. Sear the meat for about 3 minutes on each side in a hot pan with a high temp oil, such as canola, peanut, grapeseed, or clarified butter. You’ll know the meat is seared when it releases easily from the pan and has a nice brown color. Searing the meat before braising carmelizes and adds texture.

4. Once seared, remove from pan.

5. Make the braising liquid.

6. Transfer braising pan to oven at 325 for about 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

___________

Browse More:
Braising Liquid Recipes
Osso Bucco Recipes
Veal Recipes
Venison Recipes
Meat Tips & Techniques
Culinary Techniques

Mire Poix & Tomato Paste Braising Liquid

i. Add 1.5 cups mire poix to dutch oven stirring occasionally, until caramelized
ii. Add a teaspoon of tomato paste, stir into mire poix and cook for a couple minutes
iii. Add cup of red wine
iv. Scrape the pan to release the fond
v. Reduce liquid by half to three-quarters, or until the liquid is thick.
vi. Once the braising liquid is thick, return osso bucco to pan. Rub the osso bucco in the liquid, then flip it over, rub the other side in the liquid and let sit.
vii. Add simmering stock to the braising pan. Add enough stock to cover meat half-way or you can cover the meat completely, depending on how much liquid you want in the final dish.

Port & Red Wine Braising Liquid
i. Add a tablespoon of butter to the dutch oven
ii. Add a sliced onion and cook on high until browned
iii. Deglaze with cup each of port and red wine
iv. Reduce by ¼
v. Add 1 bay leaf and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme
vi. Return the meat to the pan
vii. Add 2 cups of simmering demi-glace

Classic Italian Braising Liquid

i. Add 1 cup mire poix, 3 whole garlic cloves and ¼ leeks
ii. Sweat the vegetables, but do not caramelize.
iii. Add 1 large sprig each of thyme and rosemary
iv. Add half-bottle of red wine (Brunello)
v. Add quart of simmering veal stock
vi. Do not reduce.

Garlic & Tomatoes Braising Liquid
i. Add 1.5 cups mire poix and 2 minced cloves garlic. Brown slightly.
ii. Deglaze with 1.5 cups of red wine
iii. Add a sprig each of rosemary and thyme
iv. Add 2 large cubed roma tomatoes
v. Reduce to cook down the tomatoes and until the liquid thickens a bit.

Coconut Milk Braising Liquid

i. Add ½ cup onion and 3 tablespoons each of garlic, jalapeno and ginger. Sweat.
ii. Add 8 oz. coconut milk & 24 oz. chicken stock

___________

Browse More:
Culinary Techniques
Sauce Recipes
Meat Recipes

White Cornmeal Muffins with Venison Sausage

These savory muffins are very unique, combining the tasty Venison Sausage with Merlot and Blueberries and cheddar cheese. Using fine white cornmeal results in a wonderful soft and crumbly texture. These muffins are excellent when still a bit warm with melting butter. They are actually very filling. Just two of these mini sausage muffins can serve as a whole lunch for one person.

Ingredients:
2 Venison Sausages with Merlot & Blueberries
Safflower oil for frying
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 cup White Cornmeal Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
3 tablespoons Melted Butter
1/2 cup White and Yellow Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Heat safflower oil in a skillet. Fry sausages on all sides, for about 5-6 minutes. Remove the casing, and slice in small chunks.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the muffin pan with butter.

3. In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and eggs. Stir into the flour mixture. Add melted butter, and mix in sausage and white cheddar.

4. Pour equal scoops of batter into the muffin cups. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffin tops are lightly browned on top.

Recipe Development & Photography by Natasha Price, 5 Star Foodie

___________

Browse More:
Sausage Recipes
Venison Recipes

These venison skewers are paired with roasted sherry vinegar shallots and sauteed wild mushrooms with butter and garlic.  The hedgehog mushrooms will be nice and buttery with a hint of garlic, the venison will have a slight sourness from the vinegar coupled with a fruitiness from the gastrique.  The shallots will be similarly fruity with a mild onion flavor.

Ingredients:

One pack of venison kebabs (about 2.3 pounds)
~ 1 1/2 cups sherry vinegar
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 ½ cup light olive oil
¾ lb fresh mushrooms (fresh wild hedgehog mushrooms used here)
A half stick or more of unsalted butter
About 20 shallots
Salt

Also: Cranberry Sherry Gastrique

Grilled marinated venison kebabs:

1. Mix together sherry vinegar, oil, thyme, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt in a sealable container.

2. Add the venison kebabs and marinate in the fridge for one to five hours.

3. Remove the venison from the marinade and grill over high heat. Venison is extremely lean, and will cook quickly.

Serve with a gastrique on the side for dipping and roasted shallots and sauteed mushrooms as side dishes.

Roasted shallots in sherry vinegar:

1.  Preheat your oven to 375.

2. Peel shallots and separate into individual ‘cloves.’ 

3.  Season with them with oil, salt, and pepper, then place in a roasting pan, baking dish or casserole seasoned with oil, salt and pepper.

4. Roast the shallots in the oven until they’ve begun to brown.  Then add about 3/4ths cup of sherry vinegar.

5.  Return to oven.  Check periodically to make sure the shallots and vinegar don’t burn, adding more vinegar as needed.   Each time give the pan a shake to help keep the shallots from sticking.  When they are about half-way cooked through give them a turn. When finished they should be very tender and glazed with a burgundy colored sherry vinegar reduction.

Sauteed mushrooms in butter and garlic:

1.  Hedgehogs are delicate, so rub the dirt off gently with your hands. If you prefer, water or a brush can be used, but you do risk damaging the mushrooms.

2.  Melt butter in a pan, add mushrooms, as much finely diced garlic as you prefer and a pinch of salt. Saute until mushrooms have softened and cook down. Right before finishing melt in the remaining butter to gloss up the mushrooms and add richness.

___________

Browse More:
Venison Recipes
Skewer & Kebab Recipes
Berry Recipes
Mushroom Recipes