Braised Venison Sausages

Yesterday, we went to Cirencester for a trip out. When i worked in the town, i always used to walk past Jessie Smiths Butchers Shop but i never got round to buying anything. This time, i put that right by buying some Venison Sausages. This recipe is based on one of Delia's and is ideal for a slightly different take on sausage casserole.






You need:

500g Venison Sausages
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
225g Pancetta - diced
225g Shallots - peeled
175g Mushrooms - quartered. I used Button Mushrooms
275 ml Red Wine
1 teaspoon Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
25g Butter - softened
2 tablespoons Redcurrant Jelly
2 large Cloves Garlic - roughly chopped
1 level dessertspoon Juniper Berries - lightly crushed
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Bay leaves


Heat the Oil in a large pan or casserole dish then brown the Sausages slowly over a medium heat. Then transfer them to a plate while you brown the diced Pancetta, Garlic and Shallots. Return the Sausages to the pan and pour in the Wine. Add the Juniper berries, Thyme and Bay leaves. Now season lightly, bring it all to a simmer and put a lid on the pan. Turn the heat as low as possible and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Now add the Mushrooms and then leave everything to cook gently for a further 20 minutes without the lid.

To finish, transfer the sausages and vegetables to a plate, and then mix the Flour and the Mustard powder together with the Butter until you have a smooth paste. Whisk this, a little at a time into the casserole. Return the sausages to the pan and then whisk in the redcurrant jelly

Serve with Mashed Potatoes and vegetables of your choice

Feeds 4