Venison sausage and wild mushroom tray bake recipe

This simple tray bake combines the sumptuous venison and earthy mushrooms with squash, kale and a rich sticky glaze. If you can’t find fresh wild mushrooms, then dried ones work really well. The recipe includes both, so feel free to adjust accordingly.

Ingredients

  Metric  Cups  Imperial  For the traybake

• 200 g kale
• 6 x venison sausages, 450g/16oz (we like The Dorset Meat Company)
• 200 g smoked bacon lardons (we like The Dorset Meat Company)
• 30 g dried wild or porcini mushrooms, soaked in 100ml/3.3fl oz boiling water
• 200 g fresh mushrooms – chestnut or porcini, or wild
• 0.5 butternut squash, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 100 ml red wine
• 1 handful small handful of fresh thyme, ideally leaves picked
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

• 7.1 oz kale
• 6 x venison sausages, 450g/16oz (we like The Dorset Meat Company)
• 7.1 oz smoked bacon lardons (we like The Dorset Meat Company)
• 1.1 oz dried wild or porcini mushrooms, soaked in 100ml/3.3fl oz boiling water
• 7.1 oz fresh mushrooms – chestnut or porcini, or wild
• 0.5 butternut squash, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 3.5 fl oz red wine
• 1 handful small handful of fresh thyme, ideally leaves picked
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

• 7.1 oz kale
• 6 x venison sausages, 450g/16oz (we like The Dorset Meat Company)
• 7.1 oz smoked bacon lardons (we like The Dorset Meat Company)
• 1.1 oz dried wild or porcini mushrooms, soaked in 100ml/3.3fl oz boiling water
• 7.1 oz fresh mushrooms – chestnut or porcini, or wild
• 0.5 butternut squash, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 0.4 cup red wine
• 1 handful small handful of fresh thyme, ideally leaves picked
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tsp juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

For the mash

• 500 g Maris Piper or floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 knob of butter
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 1 pinch each of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 pinch fresh chives, chopped

• 17.6 oz Maris Piper or floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 knob of butter
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 1 pinch each of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 pinch fresh chives, chopped

• 17.6 oz Maris Piper or floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 knob of butter
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 1 pinch each of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 pinch fresh chives, chopped

Details

• Cuisine: British
• Recipe Type: Sausage
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Serves: 2

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Prep the squash and add to a large baking tray or dish with the thyme, onion quarters, and oil. Rub well to cover with oil, season, and roast for 20 minutes, until soft and colouring on the edges.
2. Prepare the kale, by removing the stalks and rubbing well with oil.
3. Finely chop, then fry the bacon lardons. As they begin to crisp, add the fresh mushrooms and juniper berries, and sauté until cooked. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and sauté gently for 1 minute, watching to ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Fry the sausages until crisp and brown on the outside. Set aside.
5. Remove the tray from the oven and assemble the traybake. Remove any thyme stems then add the soaked mushrooms, cooked mushrooms, lardons and onion, and mix gently. Arrange the sausages over the top.
6. Add the wine to the pan used to cook the sausages and deglaze. Pour in to a bowl, then add the cornflour and mix well, then add the redcurrant jelly, stirring until melted. Pour the glaze over the traybake.
7. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, until everything is sticky and coloured. For the last five minutes, add the kale leaves on top until crisp, watching carefully to ensure they become crispy but don’t burn.
8. While the traybake is cooking, make the mash. Boil the potatoes until cooked and soft. Mash in a bowl, then add the knob of butter, horseradish sauce, sea salt and pepper, and chopped fresh chives.