Deer camp venison recipe sure to please

My hunting buddy Jim Sayre showed up at our recent southeast Ohio gun deer camp with a kitchen contribution that took the crew by storm: Southwest venison egg rolls.

Every one of us went home with the recipe, and we all agreed you could make a meal out of them, although Jim just brought them along as an appetizer. Indeed. If you actually plan a meal on these babies, you might want to double the recipe, a single batch of which makes about a dozen rolls.

Without further ado, Jim Sayre’s Southwest venison egg rolls:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of your choice of meat. “Southwest-style venison sausage is what I used, but anything from regular pork sausage to philly steak can be used,” Jim said. Or venny burger. “Get creative.”
• 1 green and 1 red bell pepper finely diced
• 1 sweet or yellow onion finely diced
• 1 pack of eggroll wrappers. “I found them in the produce section,” Sayre advised.
• 12 slices of regular American cheese
• cup of tap water

Preparation:

Step 1

• Brown meat in skillet and pat well or drain to remove grease, set aside in a bowl.
• Dice peppers and onion and then sauté in the same skillet until they are tender or even slightly caramelized.
• Add meat back into skillet, mix well, and remove from heat.

Step 2

• Lay out an egg roll wrapper in a diamond position.
• Center a slice of cheese on the wrapper in the same diamond position.
• Spoon on your mix from step 1 across the center left to right (usually 2 or 3 heaping tablespoons)

Step 3

• Place a cup or bowl of water near your prep area.
• Dab your finger into the water and wet each corner of the wrapper (this makes your folds stick).
• Start your roll by taking the bottom point and folding it up just past the mixture.
• Next, bring each side point into the center.  Finally, roll upward until the egg roll is completed.
• Set on a cookie sheet as you get them done.

Step 4

• Fry the egg rolls in hot oil (“Whatever kind you like; I get mine from Rural King.”) until crisped and browned. With a hot oil, this usually only takes a very short time on each side. Use a pair of tongs to flip.
• Lay them back onto the cookie sheet that is lined with paper towels.

So, deer hunters, here is one fine way to put some of your hard-earned venison on the table – at least until your gang gobbles them up.