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Tater Tot Hot Dish

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lb. 80/20 ground beef

  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

  • Can or frozen corn

  • Can of peas

  • 1 onion

  • Block of cheddar cheese 

  • Bag of frozen Tater tots

  • Salt 

  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375

  2. Brown the beef

  3. Dice the onion

  4. Cook the onion, corn and peas with the beef.

  5. Add the cream of mushroom soup.

  6. Season with salt and pepper.

  7. Pour mixture into a 9x13 dish

  8. Top with shredded cheese

  9. Layer tots in same direction over cheese, top with more cheese.

  1. Bake for 45 minutes

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Wild Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS

  • 1½ cups hand-harvested manoomin (wild rice), rinsed four times

  • 2 tbsp rendered duck fat

  • 1 large leek, white and pale green only, sliced thin

  • 3 stalks celery, sliced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf

  • 6 cups homemade chicken stock, or pheasant stock if you can get it

  • ½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

  • ½ cup crème fraîche (not heavy cream, the acidity matters)

  • 2 tbsp cultured butter

  • 2 tsp aged sherry vinegar

  • Salt, white pepper, fresh chives

METHOD

1.  COOK THE MANOOMIN SEPARATELY

Simmer rinsed wild rice in lightly salted water — 1 cup to 2½ cups water — over low heat, partially covered, 45–55 minutes until kernels begin to split and curl. Do not rush this. Drain and set aside.

2.  BUILD THE BASE

In a heavy pot melt duck fat over medium. Sweat leek, celery, and garlic until completely soft,12 minutes minimum. No color. Add thyme and bay. Deglaze with wine, reduce by half.

3.  ADD STOCK AND BLEND PARTIALLY

Add stock. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove herbs. Using an immersion blender, blend approximately one third of the soup directly in the pot. This creates body without flour or cream. The texture should be silky but not smooth.

4.  FINISH

Fold in cooked manoomin. Stir in crème fraîche and butter. Add sherry vinegar. Season carefully, manoomin is assertive and the seasoning must match it. Serve with fresh chives.

Swedish Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MEATBALLS

  • 1 lb ground beef, 80/20

  • ½ lb ground pork

  • ½ cup breadcrumbs soaked in ¼ cup whole milk

  • 1 egg

  • 1 small yellow onion, grated on a Microplane

  • ½ tsp ground allspice

  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

  • 1½ tsp kosher salt, black pepper to taste

  • 2 tbsp cultured butter for frying

FOR THE ELEVATED SAUCE

  • 2 cups veal or beef stock, reduced to 1 cup the day before

  • 4 tbsp cultured butter, divided

  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup heavy cream, warmed

  • 1 tbsp aged sherry vinegar

  • 1 tsp lingonberry jam, plus more for serving

  • Salt, white pepper, freshly grated nutmeg

METHOD

1.  MIX AND REST

Combine all meatball ingredients gently, do not overwork or they will be dense. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll slightly smaller than a golf ball. The cold rest firms the fat, so they hold their shape in the pan.

2.  BROWN IN BATCHES

Fry in cultured butter over medium-high heat, 2–3 minutes per side. Deeply golden, not grey. Do not crowd the pan. Rest on a rack.

3.  BUILD THE SAUCE

In the same pan melt 2 tbsp butter, scraping up all fond. Whisk in flour, cook 90 seconds until nutty. Add warmed cream slowly, whisking. Add reduced stock. Simmer until a finger drawn through the back of the spoon leaves a clean line.

4.  FINISH AND MOUNT

Off heat, whisk in remaining 2 tbsp cold butter in pieces, this emulsion creates the gloss. Add sherry vinegar and lingonberry jam. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Return meatballs to sauce, cover, rest 5 minutes.

Venison Stew With Root Vegetables

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INGREDIENTS

 

• 2 lbs. venison shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes

• 8 dried juniper berries, lightly crushed

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves

• 1 cup red wine

• 3 cups beef or venison stock

• 3 medium carrots, chunked

• 2 parsnips, chunked

• 3 medium potatoes, quartered

• 1 large onion, roughly chopped

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• Salt, black pepper, flour for dredging

METHOD

 

1.  Season and dredge venison in flour. Sear in batches in hot oil, high heat, fast contact, a crust formed to seal everything in. Do not crowd the pan.

2.  Remove meat. Soften onion and garlic in the same pot, 5 minutes.

3.  Deglaze with red wine, scraping all fond from the bottom.

4.  Return venison. Add stock, juniper, thyme, and bay. Bring to simmer.

5.  Cover and braise low and slow, 2.5 to 3 hours. All day if you have it. The stew does not apologize for taking this long.

6.  Add root vegetables in the final 45 minutes.

7.  Adjust seasoning. Remove juniper berries and bay leaves. Serve in deep bowls.

Lefse with Brown Butter, Almond Paste and Sea Salt

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups riced russet potato (cooked, cooled completely)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 tbsp butter, melted

• 1 tsp salt

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)

  • Almond paste

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (for brown butter)

• Flaky sea salt for finishing

 

METHOD

1.  Combine riced potato, cream, melted butter, and salt. Mix well and chill one hour, the moisture content is everything.

2.  Work in flour gradually until dough just comes together. Do not overwork.

3.  Divide into golf ball-sized portions. Roll each one paper-thin on a floured surface.

4.  Cook on a dry griddle over medium-high heat, 1-2 minutes per side, until light brown spots appear.

5.  For brown butter: melt 4 tbsp butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat, swirling constantly. When milk solids darken and smell nutty, it is past its point of no return. Remove immediately.

6.  Brush warm lefse with brown butter and almond paste. Finish with flaky sea salt. Fold, cut and serve warm.

Baked Walleye with Fry Bread

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INGREDIENTS

• FOR WALLEYE: 4 walleye fillets (6-8 oz each)

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

• 3 tbsp wild garlic (ramps), finely minced , foraged in spring only

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Salt, white pepper, smoked paprika

• FOR FRY BREAD: 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup warm water (approximately)

• Oil for frying

METHOD

1.  WILD GARLIC BUTTER: Blend softened butter with minced ramps, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Roll in parchment, chill until firm. Ramps appear for only a few weeks in spring, you must know where to look and go at exactly the right time. Otherwise, you have missed them for another year. DON’T OVER HARVERST. Save half for the animals.

2.  WALLEYE: Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat fillets dry. Season with salt, pepper, paprika.

3.  Place in baking dish. Top each fillet with a thick slice of wild garlic butter.

4.  Bake 12-15 minutes until fish flakes easily and butter is melted into the flesh.

5.  FRY BREAD: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add warm water gradually until a soft dough forms.

6.  Rest dough 10 minutes. Pull into palm-sized pieces and stretch gently, don’t force it.

7.  Fry in 1 inch of hot oil, 2-3 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper towels.

8.  Serve walleye over or alongside warm fry bread.

Iron Range Porketta

INGREDIENTS

  • 5–6 lb bone-in pork shoulder, skin scored if possible, heritage breed strongly recommended (Berkshire or Duroc)

  • 3 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and coarsely ground, more than seems reasonable

  • 2 tbsp dried fennel fronds or 3 tbsp fresh, chopped

  • 8 cloves garlic, minced to a paste with salt

  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped fine

  • 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

  • 2 tsp kosher salt per pound of meat

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 cup dry white wine for the roasting pan

 

METHOD

1.  PREPARE THE PASTE AND DRY BRINE OVERNIGHT

Combine fennel, fennel fronds, garlic paste, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes, and olive oil into a thick paste. Score the pork deeply on all sides, 1-inch cuts, 1 inch deep. Pack paste aggressively into every cut and across the entire surface. Season all over with kosher salt at 2 tsp per pound. Refrigerate uncovered overnight on a rack.

2.  BRING TO TEMPERATURE

Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. The overnight rest does three things: seasons to the bone, draws surface moisture for better crust formation, and drives the fennel deep into the meat.

3.  ROAST

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast uncovered 30 minutes until a deep crust forms. Reduce to 300°F. Add wine to pan. Cover tightly with foil. Roast 4–5 hours until the meat pulls from the bone with no resistance.

4.  REST AND PULL

Rest uncovered 30 minutes. Pull in large chunks, not shredded. Porketta should have texture. Serve on Italian bread with nothing else. The sandwich is the point.

Walleye Chowder with Wild Rice

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup wild rice (manoomin), rinsed three times

• 1 lb walleye fillet, cut into chunks

• 4 strips thick-cut bacon

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 3 stalks celery, sliced

• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed

• 4 cups fish or vegetable stock

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tbsp butter

• Fresh dill, salt, white pepper

METHOD

1.  Rinse the wild rice three times in cold water. Simmer in 2.5 cups water 45-55 minutes until kernels begin to open. It cannot be rushed. Drain and set aside.

2.  Render bacon in a heavy pot until crisp. Remove and reserve. Keep 2 tbsp of fat.

3.  Soften onion and celery in bacon fat over medium heat, 8 minutes.

4.  Add potatoes and stock. Simmer 15 minutes until potatoes are just tender.

5.  Add walleye chunks. Simmer gently 6-8 minutes — the fish feeds in low light, it should be treated with patience.

6.  Stir in cream, cooked wild rice, and butter. Season well.

7.  Serve topped with crumbled bacon and fresh dill.

Beer Battered Walleye Cheeks

​FOR THE FISH

  • 1½ lbs walleye cheeks, patted completely dry, ask your fishmonger specifically, they are often discarded

  • Beef tallow for frying, 3 inches deep in your vessel

  • Fleur de sel for finishing

FOR THE BATTER

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dredging

  • ½ cup rice flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp fine sea salt, ½ tsp white pepper

  • 1 bottle (12 oz) Summit EPA or similar dry Minnesota pale ale, ice cold

FOR THE TARTAR SAUCE

  • 3 egg yolks

  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

  • 1 cup neutral oil

  • 2 tbsp capers and 2 tbsp cornichons, both chopped

  • 1 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tsp prepared horseradish

  • Salt, white pepper

METHOD

1.  MAKE TARTAR SAUCE

Whisk yolks, mustard, and vinegar until pale. Drizzle in oil drop by drop until emulsification begins, then in a thin stream. Fold in capers, cornichons, dill, and horseradish. Season. Refrigerate.

2.  HEAT THE TALLOW

Bring tallow to exactly 375°F. Use a thermometer. Too low and the batter absorbs fat. Too high and it colors before the fish cooks. The temperature is not a suggestion.

3.  MAKE THE BATTER COLD

Whisk flours, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add ice-cold beer all at once and whisk until just combined, lumps are acceptable, overworking is not. Keep the batter cold throughout.

4.  FRY AND FINISH

Dredge cheeks in plain flour, shake off excess. Dip in batter, lower carefully into tallow. Fry 2–3 minutes until deeply golden. Drain on a rack, never paper towels. Finish immediately with fleur de sel.

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