Colder weather always means heartier meals and snacks for family and friends. I have a good amount of Elk in my freezer from the fall hunt, so I have been creating some delicious recipes to enjoy this winter season. Holiday entertaining and outdoor activities translates to hearty appetites! And what better way to feed your family then with Elk meat. Elk is one of those rare foods that is not only very healthy for you but tastes great! It is naturally low in fat, low in cholesterol and high in protein. Elk meat can be substituted for beef in most recipes. If cooked too much, it can dry out and become tough. Sausage rolls are usually made with pork meat. In this recipe, I added ground pork to add a bit of fat due to the leanness of the Elk. The flavor and texture of these Elk Sausage Rolls is wonderful! They are not greasy, have a great meaty texture, and the fresh herbs and spices perfectly accentuate this dish.
Recipe Filling Ingredients
1 pound ground Elk
1 pound ground Pork
1 cup thinly minced onion
1 tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
2 tablespoons ground Coriander
1 tablespoon freshly minced Sage Leaves
2 tablespoons freshly minced Parsley
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme
½ teaspoon Nutmeg
½ teaspoon Poppy Seeds
Pastry Recipe
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup butter
¾ cup cold water
2 egg yolks whisked with a bit of water to create an egg wash
Application:
In a large bowl, combined the Elk and Pork meat. Mix very well till colors are blended. Add all spices, onion and herbs to the meat mixture. Using your hands, mix the spices evenly into the meat. Divide mixture into eight equal pieces, and roll each piece into a nine inch sausage length. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.
For the Butter Pastry Recipe, place three cups of flour with the salt in a large bowl and mix well. Cut butter into pieces and place into the flour. Gently crumble the butter into the flour till it resembles oatmeal with your hands or pastry cutter. Slowly add the cold water and mix with a fork. If you find the flour too dry, you can always add a bit more water. Dust your hands with flour and mix the dough ball with your hands till it pulls cleanly away from the bowl. Some like to chill the pastry dough for an hour, I don’t always find it necessary. I like working with dough that is a bit more pliable.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll pastry into a rectangle 9 inches by 24 inches. Cut rectangle lengthwise and crosswise to form four rectangles that measure 4 ½ inches by 12 inches. Lay one sausage in the center of each rectangle and brush with egg wash on exposed pastry. Wrap the dough around the sausage and press edges together to make a log. With the seam side down, cut the sausage roll into whatever sizes you wish.
Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper and arrange the sausage rolls. Brush each one with egg wash and lightly sprinkle with a few Poppy Seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is a beautiful golden brown. You can serve them warm or room temperature. I like to make a Dijon mustard dip with a bit of mayonnaise for dipping.