What to do with all that venison sausage....

I'm pretty sure there are other women out there that have a freezer full of venison sausage. In this part of the country, that Friday in November is anticipated by hunters as greatly as Christmas morning is to a child. This year, we only filled one tag, but still have quite a freezer full of meat.  Completely bored out of my gourd with sausage and kraut, or sausage and potatoes, or sausage and more sausage, I found something else to do with it. After putting the ingredients into a recipe calculator, it came out to around 200-225 calories per cup, so a pretty healthy alternative to any cream based recipe, and by using Venison vs. kielbasa, you save some calories. The original recipe came from Epicurious, but here is my tweaked version:

Sausage and Leek Soup

yield Makes 6 main-course servings

Ingredients

• 4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 8 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth (64 fluid ounces)
• 2 medium boiling potatoes
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ring Venison sausage
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• White pepper to taste

Preparation

Wash leeks in a large bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well in a colander.

Cook carrot and celery in 1/2 stick butter (Or olive oil) in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. 

Add leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes.  

While stock simmers, brown sausage in separate pan in a small amount of water, ensuring not to burn sausage.  When browned, slice into thin rings.  Also while stock simmers, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Melt remaining 1/2 stick butter (must use butter here) in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, then add flour and cook roux, whisking, ~3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 cups simmering stock, whisking vigorously (mixture will be thick), then whisk flour mixture into remaining stock and return to a simmer, whisking.

Add potatoes, sliced sausage, and marjoram and simmer soup, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.

I served this with french bread.  It reheated beautifully the next day.