Hunting is an important part of our upland culture. And in our family, we harvest all of the game we shoot. So gratefully, we have a freezer stocked with venison all year. We’re also fortunate to have a local meat processor who is brilliant with game and makes the best spicy venison sausage! As such, we are always finding new ways to prepare it and this is a favorite among family and friends. Paired with mushrooms bathed lightly in sherry and served with cocktails by the fire, there is never a single bite left!
Note: As with most of our recipes, if you don’t have venison sausage on hand? Not to worry. Any game or pork sausage works handily in this recipe.
Ingredients (Yields 24)
3 Spicy game sausages, casings removed (if you only have mild sausage, you can add 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes as meat is almost browned)
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened (I use reduced fat)
1 lg. egg yolk
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Olive oil
24 large mushrooms, stems removed & hollowed gently (I use cremini, but white will work too. Hollowing delicate mushrooms is much easier with a tomato corer.)
1/3 c. dry sherry (If you don’t have any sherry on hand, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or an unoaked chardonnay will work too.)
Salt/Pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Lightly coat the bottom of a large, heavy skillet. Crumble and begin to brown sausage over medium-high heat.
- As sausage is beginning to brown, add dried oregano (and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes if sausage is not pre-seasoned to be spicy). Continue crumbling with a wooden spatula.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage into a large bowl (lined with a paper towel to help absorb any excess grease) and allow to cool.
- Add 1/2 c. of the grated Parmesan (reserve remaining 1/2 c. Parmesan), Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, fresh thyme, and mix well.
- Add cream cheese, salt/pepper to taste, and mix again.
- Add egg yolk and mix well.
- Lightly brush a baking dish (roughly 9 x 13) with olive oil.
- Pour sherry into a bowl and dunk each mushroom into the sherry, pouring any excess remaining in the cavity back into the bowl.
- Line oiled baking dish with mushrooms, cavity facing up. Stuff each mushroom with approximately 1 Tbs. of sausage filling and sprinkle with reserved 1/2 c. Parmesan.
- Bake uncovered until mushrooms are tender and filling is browned. Approximately 25 minutes.
Notes: Can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Also, I serve these directly from the dish I bake them in so that they stay warm. I simply place it on top a trivet to protect the table.
Suggestions
Proper oven-to-table baking dishes cut down on the fuss of transferring these fabulous little hors d’oeuvres to a platter and they keep them warmer longer. I’ve shared a few favorites. Don’t let the Mariposa version fool you; it’s made from recycled aluminum and comes with an old-school 3 qt. Pyrex dish. It is far more “casually elegant” than fussy. And after cocktail hour, you can simply pop the glass insert into the dishwasher for easy cleanup and a clutter-free kitchen that’s ready to serve dinner.
Be certain to protect your table with the others; the leather trivet from Holtz also acts as a hot pad to protect your hands and I’m absoultely in love with it. My oven mitts are a complete embarrassment and for some reason, I never think about them until we’re just about to serve dinner. These are going on this year’s Christmas gift list! The Staub wooden trivet is magnetic and perfect to keep a cast enamel dish from sliding about.
