Apples. The traditional item to throw at doctors, or however that saying goes.

For the folks that have been told by their doctors to eat more fruit and vegetables, your salvation is here. Adding an apple to a batch of wild game sausage is a new twist on the old favourite. It also adds moisture and flavour to the sausage—perfect for any meal.

Ingredients:

Sausage:

• 4 lbs venison
• 4 lbs pork
• 2 cups Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• ¼ cup apple juice
• â…“ cup salt
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• ¼ cup ground sage
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground clove
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Apple & Onion Sauce:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup apple juice
• ½ cup chicken broth

Directions:

Sausage

1. Grind the venison and pork together with diced apples and onion. Remember that fresh sausage should always be chilled from the time you work with the meat until you cook it.
2. Add dry ingredients, cover with apple juice, and blend thoroughly with your hands. You can grind the mixture one more time to help blend. Push straight into casing or burger bags.

Note: Links can be made with 28 to 32 mm natural or collagen casing, while a 1 lb burger bag will allow you to cut 5 mm patties for quick frying.

Sauce & Cooking

1. Add butter to a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add sausages and cook until they are browned on all sides, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove sausages from the pan and place them in a baking dish, and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Add olive oil and heat, then add sliced onion, apple, and lemon juice to the pan. Cook until tender and brown, stirring regularly.
5. Add apple juice and chicken broth to the mixture and increase the heat to high and stir until the liquid is reduced and thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Remove sausages from the oven and transfer to a serving platter, topping them with the apple and onion mixture and serve.