Sauerbraten: The Opposite of Roast Turkey?
 | Author:
Eileen Clarke - Rifles and Recipes
Author: Rifles and Recipes |
Sauerbraten: The Opposite of Roast Turkey?
Eileen Clarke
Rifles and Recipes
I can make an argument for that. Roast turkey is tasty, but it’s white meat, with a pale gravy. Pale and pale. Sauerbraten? It’s a vibrant, dynamic in-your-face piece of the Old World. Once the turkey has been picked clean, let’s wrestle a goose out of the freezer and break open the spice rack. And if you don’t have waterfowl, venison will work as well.
Most important part of this recipe? You have to keep the marinade: it’s the cooking sauce. We’re all so used to pouring the marinade into the sink, but DON’T. Meanwhile, while the sauerbraten stews, boil some potatoes. Serve them sliced or mashed, with sauerbraten poured on top. Finally, don’t forget to bone out the thighs. There’s lots of meat there, and thigh meat is just as good as breast meat.
Sauerbraten with Ginger Snaps
Makes 4 cups/1 quart
The Brine Ingredients
1 whole Canada goose, boned out (about 1½ pounds)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup cold water
1 onion, chopped
½ cup brown sugar
9 whole cloves
5 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white pepper
The Rest of the Ingredients
1 cup flour
⅔ cup oil
4 ginger snap cookies, about 1 cup crumbled
Preparation
1. Cut the boned goose meat into 2” wide, ¼” thick strips. Combine the vinegar, water, onion, brown sugar, cloves, bay leaves, salt and white pepper in a re-sealable plastic bag. Add the goose meat and refrigerate 48-72 hours.
2. Remove the meat from the marinade and set it aside. Pour the marinade into a sieve set into a bowl--be sure to save it. That’s the cooking sauce. Dry the meat with paper towels. Pour the flour into a re-sealable bag and shake the pieces of meat in the flour. Dust off the excess so you have only a light coating of flour.
Cooking
1. Heat the oven to 250ºF. Pour the drained marinade into a 3-quart enameled Dutch oven and turn the heat on that up to medium. Now you can throw away the solids left in the sieve--onions, bay leaves and cloves--from the marinade.
2. In a 10 to 12 inch skillet, heat half of the oil over medium to medium-high heat until it starts to smoke. Sauté the pieces of goose in 2 batches, not overcrowding the pan, until just lightly browned. When the first batch is done, wipe out the pan, add the other half of the oil and let it heat up before adding the next batch. (It won’t take long, so keep an eye on it.) As you brown the meat, toss the finished pieces into the Dutch oven with the marinade.
3. If the sauce isn’t already simmering when you’re done browning the meat, bring the Dutch oven up to a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven, then transfer it to the preheated oven, in the center, horizontally and vertically. Cook about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender, checking the moisture once or twice so it doesn’t burn. (See page 20 for more on that.) Just before serving, crumble 4 to 6 ginger snaps, to taste, into the sauce and stir them in well. They will sweeten the sauce and thicken it, too.
This recipe is from Eileen’s wild game cookbook, The Wild Bowl—100 wild game soups, stews and chilies. It’s available at https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/406-521-0273 and Goose Bay Glass, Reading Leaves and Birdie’s Eclectic Emporium right here in Townsend.
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PhotoCredit: Eileen Clarke
Image 1 Caption: Eileen and Lena with Alberta Geese
Photo Credit: Eileen Clarke
