Venison Sausages Braised in Red Wine

This recipe is from Delia's Winter Collection.

Bangers are bangers, but there are some bangers that are extremely special – and venison sausages are positively five-star, especially when you serve them braised slowly with herbs, shallots, mushrooms and red wine.

Then all you need is a dreamy pile of light, creamy mashed potato to go with them.

The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to make Perfect Mashed Potatoes. Press the image to play.

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Freezing braised venison sausages

Asked by: Dancing Lemurs

Hi. I'd love to do the Venison Sausages braised in red wine for a dinner party just before Christmas, and was really pleased to see the recipe as part of the "freeze ahead for Christmas" feature as I'm working most days in the run up to my party. However, I can't see anything about when/how to freeze or defrost. Do I make the whole recipe and then freeze it? If so, do I then just warm it all gently? Thanks very much for the assistance.

Answered by Lindsey: Hello, Once the Venison Sausage dish has cooked, allow to cool and freeze in a rigid freezer container, leaving a small space for expansion. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating till piping hot. Either in a casserole or in the oven. Kind regards Lindsey

Method

Heat the oil in the casserole then, with the heat at medium, brown the sausages evenly all over, taking care not to split the skins by turning them over too soon.

Next, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a plate while you brown the diced bacon along with the garlic and shallots. Now crush the juniper berries very slightly without breaking them – just enough to release their flavour. Return the sausages to the casserole, pour in the wine and add the berries, then thyme and bay leaves. Now season lightly, bring it all up to a gentle simmer, put a lid on the casserole, turn the heat as low as possible and let it all simmer gently for 30 minutes.

After that, add the mushrooms, stirring them in well, then leave everything to cook gently for a further 20 minutes – this time without the lid so the liquid reduces slightly. To finish off, remove the sausages and vegetables to a warm serving dish, mix the flour and the mustard powder with the softened butter until you have a smooth paste and whisk this, a little at a time, into the casserole. Let everything bubble for a few more minutes, then take the casserole off the heat, return the sausages to the casserole, whisk in the redcurrant jelly – and it's ready to serve.