Sage grouse is the most uniquely flavored game I have worked with. Contrary to my brain’s desire to stereotype all birds as a white meat, like chicken, sage grouse is a dark meat. The breasts are a rich velvet red while the legs reflect a slightly lighter tone. Harvesting the breasts from a sage grouse and slicing up the cutlets for dinner looks more like preparing venison steak for the grill than chicken breast. Simply said, it’s a dark meat.
A sage grouse’s diet consists of sage brush and this flavor is injected into the meat. I hear this all the time with other animals, like bears, wild turkey, and pronghorn. People say eating pronghorn is like chewing on sage brush, wild turkey is like gobbling down an entire bulb of garlic, or bear is like digging through a dumpster because they eat garbage. I don’t really find the descriptions of most animals flavor to be true. Proper handling and processing of the meat affects the flavor for me much more than the fact a wild turkey had a large garlic feast before being shot. Sage grouse are different though. People say they taste like sagebrush, and I agree, they taste very “sage-y.”
Even though I would describe the meat as having a very rich flavor with definite notes of sage, I like the flavor. It taste more like someone seasoned the breast with a sage marinade than gnawing on wild sage brush. And it is really fun to work with. I have enjoyed the task of building upon and even enhancing that natural sage essence the grouse meat bears..
Frying up sage grouse and waffles
Every meal I prepare from wild game begins with the question: “How would I create something to share with a wild game skeptic?” In the beginning, I was using this question on myself, because I was that wild game skeptic, now I use it because I have this unrealistic desire everyone should love wild game as much as I do. I want to share the experience, from start to finish, with anyone willing to listen.
Since I start with that question in mind, brunch recipes tend to come to mind. Brunch seems to be the meal where people step out of their comfort zone just a bit They want something familiar, like a breakfast omelet, but are willing to add hollandaise sauce because, you know, it’s brunch.
For this recipe, I decided to create a twist on the classic fried chicken waffles. This dish starts with frying up the sage grouse breasts. I took the two breasts from one bird and thin sliced them into four pieces, about three quarters of an inch thick. Clean off any silver skin, tendons, or fat, and pat them cutlets dry with a paper towel. It’s easier to work with a well-dried piece of meat for this recipe.
The first secret to a nicely battered, crunchy, crispy piece of bird is double coating the batter. Set-up the breading station with a bowl filled with flour mixture and a bowl with the slightly scrambled egg. Besides the cups and half of flour, half cup of corn starch, and teaspoon of baking powder, I season the flour mixture lightly with some salt and crushed red pepper.
To batter the cutlets, first drag them through the flour mixture, tapping off any excess, and then coat them in the egg. Return the cutlet to the flour mixture, back to the egg, and finally a last dip in the flour mixture, ensuring all the entire cutlet is completely coated in the flour mixture. Set the cutlets aside for frying.
The second secret to a perfect fried breast is maintaining proper oil temperature for frying. You don’t want the oil too hot, which results in overcooked, possibly even burned, crust but an undercooked inside. You also don’t want the oil to cold, which results in mushy crust. Use a thermometer to track the oil temperature, only adding the cutlets once the temperature has been reached, and don’t over crowd the pan, which will ultimately drop the oil temperature. Preheat the oil in a sturdy vessel, such as a ceramic dutch oven or deep cast iron pan, and bring the temperature to between 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the cutlets four minutes per side. Place on paper towels or wire rack to cool and drain excess grease.
making the blue corn and pumpkin waffles
For this recipe, I wanted a bit more savory taste for the waffles, so I decided on adding pumpkin and green onions to the mixture. I also have been watching a lot of the Fancy Navajo, Alana Yazzie, on Instagram. I love her stuff and she has a lot of recipes using blue corn, including waffles. This recipe seemed like the perfect place to try it out. And the results were fantastic!
Ingredients for the pumpkin blue corn waffles, including pumpkin puree, all purpose and blue corn meal flours, baking powder, cream, an egg, and butter.
Start with preheating a waffle iron. You will also want to get some type of non-stick agent to use on the iron, such as an oil spray, melted butter, or just some cooking oil. While the iron is preheating, mix together the dry waffle ingredients: flours, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients starting with the pumpkin puree and cream or whole milk, add the egg and beat until just incorporated, you aren’t making scrambled eggs here, and then slowly whisk in the melted butter. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, just mix until the lumps are starting to smooth out. A little lump is okay, you don’t want to over mix the batter.
Add the onions and, if you want a little heat, some minced jalapeno pepper. Stir and then it’s time to start cooking some waffles! Depending on the size of your iron, add about a half cup of the mixture to the greased waffle iron, close the lid, and steam until the iron says to stop.
And finally that hot chokecherry honey
While the waffles are cooking, add a half cup of chokecherry flavored honey to a small sauce pan. I used chokecherry because the flavor is slightly more floral than regular honey and it adds a beautiful pink color to the dish.
Mix in a tablespoon of water with the honey to slightly thin the mixture out, and add the jalapeno sauces. Simmer over low heat for about fifteen minutes, making sure the temperature doesn’t get too hot and start to burn the honey.
plate it up!
To plate, butter up a savory pumpkin blue corn waffle and then top with a piece of perfectly fried sage grouse. Add a healthy drizzle of spicy chokecherry honey and sprinkle with extra green onion and jalapeno bites. The result is a crunchy, sweet and spicy perfect brunch meal! Enjoy!
Happy Hunting!
Fried Sage Grouse and Waffles with Hot Chokecherry Honey
Create a fun twist on a brunch classic with these fried sage grouse and pumpkin blue corn waffles. Crispy crunchy sage grouse cutlets sit over a savory pumpkin and blue corn waffles filled with green onions and jalapeno bites. The entire thing is drizzled in spicy and sweet chokecherry honey.
Ingredients
- 2 sage grouse breast
- 1 and 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- High temperature cooking oil for frying
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup blue corn meal flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 green onions
- 1/2 cup chokecherry flavored honey
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 jalapeno peppers
Instructions
- Prep the Breast: remove the breast from the bone and clean any silver skin or excess fat. Separate each breast into two servings by slicing them lengthwise into two even cutlets. Pat the culets dry with a paper towel.
- Prepare Breading: In a shallow bowl or plate, mix together the cup and a half of flour, the corn starch, baking powder, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. To a second bowl, lightly scramble the egg with a tablespoon of water.
- Dredging Time: Completely coat each grouse cutlet in a thin dusting of the flour mixture. Dredge the floured pieces through the egg bath. Coat the cutlets for a second time in the flour mixture. If an extra thick crust is desired, take the cutlets for a second trip through the egg bath and flour mixture. Let the cutlets rest while the cooking oil heats.
- Frying Time: Add a high temperature cooking such as vegetable or canola oil to a heavy bottomed frying pan. I like to use bear fat when frying. The oil should be about a quarter to half inch thick for frying in. Preheat the oil to 350 - 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oil has reached temperature, add the cutlets to the hot oil. Fry on each side for four minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove fried grouse from oil and let rest on a wire rack or paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Prep the Iron: Preheat a waffle iron. When the iron is up to temperature, either spray with cooking oil or brush with melted butter.
- Create Waffle Batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the blue corn flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to ensure the baking powder is thoroughly blended together.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a second bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree and whole milk. Add the egg and stir until just incorporated. Then whisk in melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until the flour is just mixed in but still slightly lumpy.
- Add the Savory Ingredients: Mince one of the jalapeno peppers and dice the green onions. Add the minced peppers and green onions to the batter.
- Cook Waffles: Add batter to the preheated iron, about a half to 2/3 a cup depending on the size of your iron, and close. Steam the waffles until crispy, typically between three to five minutes.
- That Hot Honey: While the waffles are cooking, in a small sauce pan over low heat, add a half cup of a chokecherry honey and a tablespoon of water. Mix together and add slices of the second jalapeno to the honey. Let simmer for 15 minutes, taking care to stir so the honey doesn't stick to the pan.
- To Plate: Butter a hot waffle, place a piece of hot fried sage grouse a top a waffle, sprinkle with extra green onions and jalapeno slices, and drizzle spicy chokecherry honey over the top. Enjoy!