Mette Nielsen
Sausauge, Onion & Apple Scramble
I’m neither a homesteader nor a polar explorer, but I am a fan of Will Steger.
Most folks know of Will as the Minnesotan who explored the poles by dog sled.
I, too, am captivated by stories of his polar expeditions as well as his skills as a designer and a builder who tries to be an example of living well while living green.
Several years ago, I visited the Steger Center outside Ely as a food writer, wanting to learn about Will’s no-waste, climate-friendly kitchen and to see how this fierce advocate lives.
On that visit in August, after a swim in Picklett’s Lake, I hiked to the lodge where the center cook, Rita Mae Steger, served a
brilliant vegetable curry, garden green salad and warm raspberry pie to the resident tradespeople and apprentices.
Throughout the summer, the Steger Center offers classes in homesteading, climate leadership and wilderness management.
“Our programs in building alternative energy systems and climate friendly structures show how gardening, foraging and cooking are critical skills,” Will says.
Rita Mae Steger is Will’s niece and an energetic, creative and thrifty cook. She harvests vegetables, berries and apples from the garden. She also shops Ely’s farmers market and nearby farms. Inspired by her Vietnamese mom’s cooking and her travels throughout Asia, her fresh, simple dishes are boldly seasoned and beautiful. They come thoughtfully garnished and served with joy.
“I’ve been coming to Will’s homestead for as long as I can remember. First with my dad as a toddler and then every summer. It’s my second home. As the center’s cook, I’ve come to realize how the intention I put into making the food will impact how it tastes and also how it’s received.” All of that is important to Rita Mae, who adds, “I care deeply about the people who come here.”
“Dining together, sitting at the table long after the dishes are cleared, weaves us into a relationship with each other and the earth,” Will adds. “We need to learn to live with what we have. Yes, recycling is important, but if we stopped buying so much stuff, we wouldn’t be throwing so much out, especially when it comes to food.”
All those lessons are wrapped into The Steger Homestead Cookbook: Simple Recipes for an Abundant Life. It shares all tips and stories from the center’s kitchen and homestead gardens. Along with Rita Mae’s stellar recipes for Red Flannel Hash, Homestead Chickpea Curry, Roasted Squash Salad or Zucchini Bundt Bread are the tales Will tells after dinner at the campfire – of building his log cabin homestead, of his polar expeditions and of the villagers in remote arctic regions and their kind treatment of him. It’s a cookbook, sure, but this is also the story of a remarkable climate hero and his life at home. Both the food and the messages should be thoughtfully savored.
Red Flannel Hash
Inspired by cozy flannel work shirts, this hash mixes potatoes, sweet potatoes and gold beets. Other roots, such as carrots,
Mette Nielsen
Red Flannel Hash
parsnips and celeriac also work well. Top these off with a fried egg that will burst into a lush velvety sauce.
Serves 2 and is easily expanded
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium golden beets, cut into 1/2-inch dice
To taste salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flake, to taste
Salsa or hot sauce for serving, optional
Instructions:
In a deep heavy skillet over medium heat, add the oil and then the onions and cook until transparent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the diced vegetables. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Shake the pan to distribute the vegetables evenly. Cover the pan and reduce the heat, cooking until the vegetables have become tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the cover, stir the vegetables and continue cooking until they become slightly browned on all sides. Serve with a side of salsa or hit sauce.
Sausage, Onions & Apple Scramble
Use any sausage you like for this simple warming dish, inspired by the handmade sausages that Will’s Uncle Harvey would bring to Will’s cabin on visits.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter
2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch slices
To taste salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh parsley
5 large, tart apples (such as Haralson, Cortland, etc.), cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
8 bratwurst or Italian sausages, about 4 oz. each
1/2 c. beer, white wine or water
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 250° F.
Put 2 Tablespoons of the butter into a large cast-iron pan or heavy skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and season with the salt and pepper and stir to coat with the butter. Add the thyme and parsley. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set on a heat-proof plate and hold in a warm oven.
Put the remaining butter into the pan and add the apples. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring the apples, until they’re brown on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and add to the heat-proof plate with the onions and hold in a warm oven.
Prick each of the sausages in several places with the tip of a sharp knife. Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and add the sausages in one layer. Brown the sausages slowly on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the beer and cook until reduced to a glaze.
To serve, arrange the apples and onions on a large platter and place the sausages over the onion-apple mixture (see the photo, facing page).