Venison Sausage with Creamy Polenta
Chef Stanton elevates the brunch menu at The Heathman with a savory, hand-crafted venison sausage served with creamy polenta, smoked picante piperade and sunny-side up hen eggs. Housemade and artisanal sausages made with game can really differentiate the morning meal and be cross-utilized during all dayparts.
Ingredients
Sausage
7 lb. boneless venison meat
3 1/2 lb. pork fatback
1 1/2 cups red wine
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1/4 cup harissa paste
4 tbsp. salt
2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. four-spice blend (pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander)
1 tsp. chipotle powder
2 roasted red peppers
Creamy Polenta
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1 cup polenta
2 cups cream
1/2 lb. butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Piperade
3 red bell peppers
3 yellow bell peppers
4 garlic cloves, sliced
Olive oil
1 tbsp. smoked picante
6 sunny-side up eggs, prepared to order
Steps
- Prepare sausage: Cut venison and fatback into small pieces; refrigerate until well chilled.
- In bowl, combine venison mixture with wine, garlic, harissa, salt, sugar, four-spice blend and chipotle; marinate 1 hour.
- Place meat mixture and bell peppers in meat grinder; grind and mix thoroughly until slightly tacky but well blended. Push through extruder into casings.
- Prepare Creamy Polenta: In saucepan, bring milk and water to a boil. Add polenta and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Stir in cream, then butter, until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Prepare Piperade: Slightly peel the skin off peppers; slice peppers into fine julienne. In heavy-bottom saucepan over med.-low heat, heat 3 tbsp. olive oil. Add peppers and garlic; sweat until very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in smoked picante; season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Grill sausages until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- To serve, place a generous spoonful of warm Creamy Polenta onto plate. Spoon warm Piperade next to polenta; add cooked sausages on the side. Top with sunny-side up egg.