Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is a live Twitch cooking show where I make a tabletop or Dungeons & Dragons-inspired snack and then paint a miniature. To kick the first season off, I decided to start @RaineRysa‘s #52WeeksofDnD fanart challenge. Three weeks ago, we made some Chromatic Dragon Cheese Eggs for the challenge word “Dragon.” This week’s challenge word was “Profession.”
So at first, I wanted to create a dish that a chef adventurer would sell. Nothing I could come up with seemed thematic enough to the word “profession,” though. Then I thought of what profession that most fighter D&D characters tend to be before taking up a life of adventuring. All tropes point to the hammer-slinging blacksmith.
It makes sense, right? The blacksmith is probably the brawniest individual in town. Chances are if he has any love for heroic stories, he’s tried his hand at making a sword or two — perhaps even practiced with them. Or maybe he’s seen enough adventurers come through town needing repairs, that a blade is just familiar to his hands as a hammer. Be kind to the local smithy. He is both the maker and breaker of heroes.
That said, for this recipe, I wanted to make something the smithy would probably cook while working. I ended up making skinless sausage skewers that a bit of a hybrid between the kofta kabob, Romanian mititei, and Scottish skirlie. Made of beef, bacon fat, oats, and a variety of herbs and spices likely found growing around a peasant’s home, these sausages are perfect for grilling on the forge. Since a platter requires more than sausages, I also made up a raspberry honey-mustard dipping sauce as well as some pickled red onions.
Want to learn how to make Smithy’s Sausage Platter for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe card below!
Smithy’s Sausage Platter
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Smithy's Sausage Platter
Equipment: Mortar and pestle, kettle, colander, clean jar with lid, mixing bowl, 6 metal skewers, tongs, refrigerator, stovetop, small saucepan, wire whisk, grill pan, and cooking spray.
Ingredients:
Sausages:
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef
- 1 Tb dried thyme
- 1 Tb dried chives
- 3 pinches kosher salt
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 Tb rubbed sage
- 1 Tb caraway seeds
- 2 Tb butter or bacon fat, melted
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup beef stock
Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup stone ground mustard
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup beer
Pickled Red Onion:
- 1 large red onion, julienne
- 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
- 2 cups of water
- kosher salt
Instructions:
Pickle the Onion:
- Bring water to a boil in either a teakettle or in a pan on the stovetop.
- Place your sliced onions in the colander over the sink. Douse the onions with boiling water. Drain, then transfer the onions to a clean jar with a few pinches of kosher salt.
- Push the onion down to fit, then fill with red wine vinegar. Seal the jar and shake vigorously. Refrigerate the jar at least 8 days before using.
Make the Sauce:
- Pour all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and heat over a medium flame on the stovetop. Whisk the mixture until the jam melts completely and blends with the other ingredients.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat to cool.
Make the Sausages:
- Peel the garlic cloves then mash them with the kosher salt in the mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. Gradually add the remaining herbs, smashing them into the garlic.
- Place the ground beef in the mixing bowl and start working the garlic herb paste into the meat. Mix in the oats, then the beef stock, and then the bacon fat.
- Divide the meat into six portions, then form one part around the end of each skewer. Shape the meat into a 1.5″ diameter cylinder, then place the skewer on a plate. Refrigerate the sausages for 30 minutes.
- Spray the grill pan with cooking spray, then preheat it over a medium-high flame until you cannot hold your hand one inch over the pan for more than one second.
- Place three skewers diagonally on the pan and rotate them with a pair of tongs four times, two minutes on each side. Place the cooked skewers on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Drain the grease into a separate bowl and repeat with the remaining skewers.
- Serve the cooled sausages with a pile of pickled red onion and a dish of dipping sauce.
I hope that this episode inspired you to start a culinary campaign of your own. Next week I’ll be tackling the #52WeeksOfDnD challenge word “Elf” with some Elvish Mint & Berry Pies.
Make sure to join me live Wednesday on Twitch from 7 pm – 9 pm EST. OR you can catch the archived episode on YouTube.
