Venison sausages

Remember our trip to Finnebrogue in Downpatrick and our selection of sausages?
Well, of course, venison has to feature.  After all, this is how they started.

Their venison sausages are truly wonderful and, like all their sausages they are gluten free.
Venison is a dark, delicious and low fat meat, making it a great addition to your diet. Whilst some cuts of venison can be expensive and/or hard to get hold of, these sausages are an ideal introduction to the joys of bambi meat.

Fine as they are with mash and gravy, I decided on something a little more adventurous and matched their intriguing colour with the deep purple of damsons and beetroot.

This dish was cooked in one of our woks and ready in 20 minutes - the time it took for #1 son to complete his cardio-vascular cycle run.

So, here goes:

1 onion, chopped
6 Finnebrogue venison sausages, sliced into 5 pieces each
120g stoned damsons*
¼ tsp chopped rosemary
8 juniper berries, crushed
2 cooked beetroot
½ head Hispi cabbage
2 tablespoons damson gin -  in fact, I used my homemade elderberry gin**
Salt and pepper to taste

*   Freeze the damsons and then defrost them to make stoning them a doddle!!!!
** You can replace the gin with red wine, port or stock. If using wine or stock, add 2 teaspoons of sugar to counter the sharp flavour of the damsons.

Heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a wok.
Add the chopped onion and cook over a medium heat until translucent.
Increase the heat and add the sausage chunks, rosemary and juniper.

Cook until the sausages are browned all over.

Add the cabbage, damsons and beetroot and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour in the gin, season to taste and cook for 5 minutes more.

Gorgeous with new potatoes.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk