Recipe: Venison Sausage Dutch Baby

SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 MIN | COOK TIME: 30 MIN

As a kid, I was notorious for keeping every flavor separate. Eventually, I started rolling sausages inside pancakes, then added eggs, and the final version was a drizzle of maple syrup once rolled up like a burrito. Enter this recipe: venison sausage Dutch baby.

If you’ve been on Instagram in the past four years, you’ve likely seen Dutch baby recipes, typically dusted with powdered sugar, piled high with fresh berries, and occasionally savory (like this recipe). If you haven’t made a Dutch baby yet, now is your chance. They puff up in the oven in a way that makes anyone want to watch the oven and see the eggs reach for the sky.

The sausage is something you can put together quickly. Alter to taste and make your own. The key with this recipe is to use what you have because, you’ll likely be making it first thing in the morning for brunch. There’s a little juggling involved, especially if you want to get through it quickly. That said, if you follow my process, it’ll all come together nicely.

The tang of tequila-infused caramelized onions, spicy sausage, funky cheeses, and fresh herbs really are a fun bite. I drizzled a little maple syrup on top, which my buddy Jeff makes. (He also makes the American agave spirits I used in the onions.) However, like everything good in life, choose your own adventure.

INGREDIENTS

Dutch Baby:

• 4 tablespoons butter (sliced into patties)
• 4 large free-range eggs
• ⅔ cup milk or buttermilk
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Venison Breakfast Sausage:

• .75 lbs. ground venison (with 20-30% pork fat)
• 2 tsp chili powder (Ajo Amarillo, Peruvian yellow peppers)
• 1/8th tsp ground clove
• 10-12 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 tbsp salt

Toppings:

• 2 onions
• 4oz stinky cheese (I used brie and a triple creme blue)
• Fresh chopped basil (or other herbs)
• Maple syrup for garnish (optional)

DETAILED STEPS

1. I mentioned using Aji Amarillo as the chili powder. It’s one of the oldest pepper varieties from Peru where many peppers originated. If you like, order these prior to cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with your cast iron skillet in it.
3. Chop onion into thin, even slices. Put on low heat in a sauce pan with a solid drizzle of olive oil and maybe 1-2 tablespoons and a pinch of salt.
4. Stir every couple minutes to keep from burning. The onions should be brown, but not get black (black adds bitterness).
5. Once onions are fully brown, add a shot of tequila (or other agave spirit) and let the alcohol reduce down and evaporate.
6. In between stirs, crack four eggs, and whisk with milk. Add all-purpose flour and salt.
7. Whisk until smooth and set aside to rest at least 10-15 minutes.
8. Keep stirring the onions.
9. Mix spices and salt into the ground venison, and massage it for a while. Develop a bit of tackiness to the meat, extracting proteins.
10. Heat up a skillet to cook sausage on the stovetop.
11. Roll up quarter-sized (or smaller) meatballs and toss into hot pan. Turn when they brown on each side.
12. Again, keep stirring the onions. If totally cooked by now, take them off the heat.
13. Pull the hot skillet out of the oven and toss in your pats of butter. Let these melt.
14. Pour in batter and put directly into the oven for 15 minutes.
15. Once the middle puffs up and turns brown, pull it. Dark brown edges are ideal (black is not).
16. Once the Dutch baby is huge, and you’ve gotten pics for the ‘Gram, add in onions, sausage, and cheese evenly (so each bite has flavor).
17. Put back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
18. Take out and garnish with herbs (maybe some maple syrup, a squeeze of lemon, or a few spoons of jam).
19. Try it first and serve it on the table with different things to try. It’ll be savory, but a little sweet or acidic balance cuts the richness.
20. With your Cold Steel knife, cut into triangles like a pie. Roll up and eat with your hands or a fork and knife (if it’s that kind of party).

All things considered, this is a great recipe, and one you and your people are sure to love. Give the venison sausage Dutch baby recipe a try, and you just might make it a regular in the rotation.

Recipe: Venison Carpaccio Toast

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