wild & wicked sausage

My friend Amy ordered half a pig from a farmer and needed to borrow our meat saw for some of the work.
"No problem," I said. "Just save everything you aren't going to use from the pig and bring it to me."
The half pig when it arrived, was actually just four pieces. No trotters, not much fat, just a nicely trimmed piggy. But Amy still had a little bag of waste product to give me.
From the little bag of "waste" I was able to return to Amy: a pound of lard, a small bag of cracklin's for corn bread, and (with a gift of moose meat from another friend) I also shared a package of these sausages. 

recipe

1 1/2 lbs lean meat (I used ground moose)
1 1/2 lbs very fatty pork
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp sage
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp chili flakes
1 grated carrot
2 slices gluten-free bread, crumbed (I have even used leftover GF pancakes)
1/2 cup wine, or apple juice
Chill the meat and when you are handling it, make sure to keep it very very cold. I grind into a bowl set into a tub filled with ice water.
Grind the meats and add the seasonings, carrot, bread crumbs and liquid. Chill to let the flavours mingle. At this point I usually do a taste test by making a couple tiny sausage patties and frying them.
Adjust the seasonings and either stuff casings with the sausage or use it for patties.

bonus recipe: doggy treats

If I ever have a piece of pork skin, I like to cut off as much of the fat as possible (and grind it, to slow roast for lard and cracklings) and then cut the skin into strips about 1" x 4" and roast at 350F until nice and crispy. Reserve the fat for cooking.
The pork rinds for a much better treat for your active dog than store bought biscuits.