Wild Venison Sausage and Butter Bean Casserole

Ingredients

• 8 wild venison sausages (about 600 g total)
• 15 ml rapeseed oil
• 180 g onion, chopped
• 200 g carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 20 g tomato purée
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 350 ml low-salt chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 x 400 g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed (about 480 g drained)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 100 g baby spinach, washed
• 1 g fine salt, or to taste
• 1 g ground black pepper

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole on the hob. Brown the sausages over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, turning them regularly. Lift onto a plate; they are not cooked through yet.

2. 2

   Add the onion and carrots to the pan and soften for 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée for 1 minute.

3. 3

   Pour in the tomatoes and stock, scraping the base of the pan. Add the thyme, salt and pepper and return the sausages with their juices.

4. 4

   Bring to a simmer, cover loosely and cook for 15 minutes, turning the sausages once. Add the butter beans and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring carefully so the beans stay whole.

5. 5

   Check the centres of several sausages with a clean food thermometer. They must be piping hot throughout with no pink and reach 70°C for 2 minutes. Allow extra time if necessary, then stir in the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Use clean tongs to lift the cooked sausages onto a clean board, cut into chunky pieces and return them to the casserole. Stir, check the seasoning and ladle into bowls.