Recipe: Swedish Potato Wild Game Sausage

I tend to get carried away when it comes to making sausage. Several years ago, I introduced some of my hunting buddies to the art and science of making and linking sausage. Over two months, we put the equipment to the test, cranking out close to 2,000 pounds of fresh and smoked sausages. The group started small but grew exponentially as the word got out, and samples circulated among our outdoor friends.

While sitting in hunting camp last year, J.J. Reich of Federal Premium grilled me on all things sausage and asked if I had ever tried Swedish potato sausage. It was something new to me, and he described it as a favorite meal and went into detail about other friends who have embraced the rings of baked sausage.

Potato sausage is what it sounds like, and in Sweden is referred to as potatiskrov or värmlandskorv. Traditionally, the sausage was served hot at Christmas, made from pork, beef, potatoes and onion.

My Minnesota buddies have embraced the Swedish potato sausage and have some made every year with venison. Of course, I had to try my hand at the Scandinavian treat, and after several renditions, found one that friends and family have enjoyed. Some recipes are equal parts of potato and pork, but using equal volumes of potato, venison, and pork created great texture and flavor. With potato and milk powder as part of the ingredients, the end product is a light-colored, and dense.

The Swedish potato sausage can made as a ring sausage in a bung casing. I made smaller links while working with different batches and liked the individual servings created.  

Ingredients
• 1½ lbs. venison
• 1½ lbs. pork shoulder
• 6 potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 1½ tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup non-fat dry milk
• 1 cup water

Directions
1. Peel and boil potatoes until tender, then cover with water and cool in the fridge. The water will keep the potato from discoloring.
2. Grind the venison, pork, potatoes and onion through a ⅜-inch plate.
3. Add the salt, white pepper, allspice, milk powder and water to the meat and mix by hand before running through the grinder again.
4. Stuff sausages into casing and fry, bake or boil for eating.

Swedish potato sausage is perishable with the potato and milk powder. If you aren’t going to cook the sausage immediately, it is best to freeze it. If you are storing the sausage in the fridge for a short period, cover it with water in a sealable container.

For more delicious wild-game recipes, click here.