Venison Sausage With Asparagus and Roasted Tomatoes

Venison sausage makes everything taste better. Yet another use for roasted tomatoes.

I was in need of a quick dinner, and identified a few things in my fridge that needed to be used: a bunch of asparagus, some roasted tomatoes I hadn't bothered to freeze, and some of my uncle's venison sausage that I'd recently defrosted. These plus a few staples, and we're set.

canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound asparagus, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 lbs venison sausage*, chopped
1 cup roasted tomatoes**

Add onion to hot oiled pan and stir until it begins to soften and brown. Add asparagus, garlic, and sausage and continue stirring to prevent sticking.

When the asparagus is almost soft and the sausage is brown on the outside, it's time to add the tomatoes and stir some more.

*This was hot breakfast sausage. Most any sausage would work here; I prefer the stronger-flavored ones to stand up to the other ingredients.

**Roasted tomatoes are a good choice when pressed for time because their excess water is already gone. Their flavor is also much stronger.

Add a bit of balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Continue cooking and stirring over medium-high heat to drive additional liquid away and thicken the mixture.

Do a final double-check on the seasonings, then serve hot.

This would be quite nice over most any type of starch: rice, noodles, polenta, or mashed potatoes.