Venison Goetta

Before I married my husband, I had never heard of goetta let alone eat it.  But, in his family, you were not an Emmich if you didn't eat goetta.  I quickly learned that it was pretty good (even though the name didn't really sound too interesting!!).

Twenty-three years later, I stumbled upon a recipe in Cook's Country magazine for homemade goetta!!  How exciting is this!!!  And you know how I love to make anything homemade!!  A new adventure was born.  I had most of the ingredients except for a few of the spices which involved a run to the grocery store.  I did have some venison sausage so I thought I would substitute that in place of the pork sausage just to make it a bit more "countrified" (is there such a word??).  Anywhere, here is the recipe and I will note with *** where I made my substitutions.

Homemade Goetta by Cook's Country Magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage *** (I used 1 pound venison sausage)
1 3/4 cups quick-cooking steel-cut oats
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra as needed

Instructions

Grease 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch bread pan with PAM or vegetable oil.
Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned.

Stir in sage, fennel, and allspice and cook very briefly for about 30 seconds.
Add 4¼ cups water and sausage and mash with potato masher until water and sausage are fully combined.

Bring to boil and stir in oats. 

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Uncover,stirring frequently until the mixture is very thick for about 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Smooth top and tap firmly on counter. Let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled and firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Run thin knife around edges of goetta, then briefly set bottom of pan in hot water to loosen goetta from pan. Turn out goetta onto cutting board.

Cut desired number of 1/2-inch-thick slices from loaf. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add up to 4 slices of goetta and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes per side.

Transfer to wire rack and let drain. Repeat as needed. Serve. (Wrap any remaining goetta in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or slice, wrap, and freeze for up to 1 month. To cook from frozen, reduce heat to medium-low and increase cooking time to 7 to 9 minutes per side.)

Homemade Goetta by Cook's Country Magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped fine

1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage *** (I used 1 pound venison sausage)

1 3/4 cups quick-cooking steel-cut oats

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra as needed

Instructions

Grease 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch bread pan with PAM or vegetable oil.  

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned. Stir in sage, fennel, and allspice and cook very briefly for about 30 seconds. 

Add 4¼ cups water and sausage and mash with potato masher until water and sausage are fully combined. Bring to boil and stir in oats. 

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Uncover,stirring frequently until the mixture is very thick for about 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Smooth top and tap firmly on counter. Let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled and firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

 Run thin knife around edges of goetta, then briefly set bottom of pan in hot water to loosen goetta from pan. Turn out goetta onto cutting board. Cut desired number of 1/2-inch-thick slices from loaf. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add up to 4 slices of goetta and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack and let drain. Repeat as needed. Serve. (Wrap any remaining goetta in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or slice, wrap, and freeze for up to 1 month. To cook from frozen, reduce heat to medium-low and increase cooking time to 7 to 9 minutes per side.)

Verdict:

It was good but I think next time I will use mild pork sausage.  The venison sausage was highly seasoned and that did not mix well with the seasoning that I added.  I do think this is a great recipe and does need just a tad bit of tweeking.