Sausage Hot Dish Food

SAUSAGE HOT DISH

Steps:

• Crumble half of the beef into a 2-1/2-qt. microwave-safe dish. Layer with half of the potatoes, carrots and onion. Sprinkle with half of the thyme, salt and pepper. Repeat layers. Pour water over top. Cover and microwave at 70% power for 16 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Spoon over beef mixture. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Heat 30 seconds longer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

KNOEPHLA SAUSAGE HOTDISH

Steps:

• For the knoephla: Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Mix the egg with 1 cup water in a small bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Add the parsley to the mixture. Mix all together and knead until the dough has come together, taking care not to overmix.
• Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch squares.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the knoephla in 3 or 4 batches, depending on the size of your pot, until cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and add to a large bowl. Toss with the olive oil to prevent the dumplings from sticking and set aside.
• For the hotdish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
• In a skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove the cooked sausage from the skillet and add to the bowl with the knoephla.
• In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until softened. Add the sauerkraut and cook until the mixture has caramelized. Add toasted fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute, then remove the mixture to the bowl with knoephla and sausage.
• In the same skillet, add the butter and flour and whisk together, stirring up any brown bits at the bottom of the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk in four additions, whisking continuously, allowing the mixture to thicken before adding each addition. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Add the knoephla, sausage, onion and kraut mixture to the pot of gravy and mix until combined. Pour into the greased baking dish.
• Place the pretzels in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the bag and shake up to coat the pretzels. Top the baking dish with the pretzel crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
• Garnish with the parsley before serving.

WILD RICE & SAUSAGE HOT DISH

Steps:

• Cook rice according to package directions - the Minnesota hand-harvested type I use takes 35-45 minutes.
• While rice is cooking, chop vegetables and add to rice pot.
• Cook sausage in a skillet until browned; drain and set aside.
• Once rice is done, mix sausage into pot. Add soups; stir to combine well. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.