Slow Cooked Venison Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

• 10 venison sausages (cut into 2cm chunks)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions (peeled and chopped into 1 cm chunks)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
• 2 carrots (peeled and sliced into rounds)
• 2 sticks celery (cut into 1cm chunks)
• 3 baking potatoes (peeled and cut into 3cm chunks)
• 1 handful celery leaves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 500 ml water (boiling)
• 100 ml red wine
• 500 g passata
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Add the olive oil to your hob safe slow cooker inner and place on the stove over a medium heat.ORIf your slow cooker inner is not stovetop safe or does not have a saute function, add the oil to a frying pan instead.

2. 2

   Add the sausages to the hot oil and keep moving the sausage chunks around the pan until brown on all sides - around 5 minutes. They do not need to be cooked through.

3. 3

   Add the chopped onion and turn the heat down a little. Cook until slightly softened - around 5 minutes.

4. 4

   While the onions are cooking, boil the kettle and add the stock cubes. Stir until dissolved then set aside.

5. 5

   --- Slow Cooker Method ---

6. 6

   Turn your slow cooker on to a medium heat setting and either put the inner dish back into the cooker or tip the contents of the frying pan into the slow cooker.

7. 7

   Add the crushed garlic, chopped celery, sliced carrots and cubed potatoes to the slow cooker.

8. 8

   Add the made up stock to the slow cooker

9. 9

   Followed by the red wine.

10. 10

    Stir in the passata along with a pinch each of salt and pepper

11. 11

    Stir in the celery leaves and rosemary.

12. 12

    Add the lid to the slow cooker.

13. 13

    --- Regular Oven Method ---

14. 14

    Preheat the oven to 120c | 250f | Gas mark 1.

15. 15

    Add the browned sausages and softened onions to a casserole dish.

16. 16

    Add the crushed garlic, chopped celery, sliced carrots and cubed potatoes to the dish.

17. 17

    Add the made up stock to the dish.

18. 18

    Followed by the red wine.

19. 19

    Stir in the passata along with a pinch each of salt and pepper

20. 20

    Stir in the celery leaves and rosemary.

21. 21

    Cover the dish with foil or add the lid if available.

22. 22

    --- Both Methods ---

23. 23

    Cook for 5-6 hours. Check the casserole every now and again and give it a quick stir. If it starts to look at all dry, Add a little more water. The casserole is ready once the potatoes and carrots are soft all the way through.

24. 24

    Serve in bowls with a little sprig of rosemary on top and a glass of red wine.