3 Wild Game Dishes Inspired by Fast Food
My junior year of college my roommate and I lived a stone’s throw from McDonald’s. That’s when I learned there’s a direct correlation between how much McDonald’s you eat based on how close you live. We became very familiar with the golden arches, along with a handful of other conveniently located drive-thrus. Now I’m much more domesticated as a househusband that handles all the cooking. Those fast food cravings from a half-decade ago comeback sometimes, but I’ve found that many can be replicated with wild game… and they taste even better.
Elk Wrap Supreme inspired by Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme
A bunch of my ground red meat gets converted into different Mexican dishes, like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. This wrap uses a lot of those same ingredients, but in a little different way. While Taco Bell is known for their gimmicky items like Doritos Locos and Mexican Pizza, the Crunchwrap Supreme can be churched up for a real homecooked meal.
Large flour tortillas Tostada shells 1 lb ground elk 1 tsp chili powder .5 tsp smoked paprika .5 tsp ground cumin Shredded lettuce Diced tomatoes Nacho cheese Shredded cheddar cheese Salsa Sour cream Olive oil
Combine ground elk and spices in a skillet to create taco meat. Add a little bit of water, salt, and pepper once the meat is cooked.
To build the wraps, lay down a large flour tortilla. Place meat on tortilla that’s about the same size as the tostada shells. The meat should be still be hot, but not too hot that it’ll compromise the tortillas.
Drizzle the meat with nacho cheese. Place tostada shell on meat. Place lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese on top of tostada in that order. Fold sides of tortilla shell up to hold in the toppings. It won’t reach to make a perfect seal, so add more shredded cheese in whatever space is left.
Place the wrap in a skillet that has a little bit of hot olive oil. Flip after about two minutes. Remove from skillet after another two minutes, or until the shell is golden brown.
Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Turk-fil-A Nuggets inspired by Chick-fil-A’s Grilled Nuggets
Named the healthiest chicken nuggets by Eat This, Not That!, the Chick-fil-A grilled nuggets are a rare healthy alternative in the world of fast food menu items. These translate perfectly for turkey breasts, and you’ll think it's authentic when you dip them in this homemade Chick-fil-A Sauce that can be created with ordinary condiments from your fridge.
1 turkey breast Paprika Garlic powder Salt Pepper Olive oil
.5 cup mayo 4 tbs honey 4 tbs barbeque sauce 2 tbs yellow mustard 4 tsp Dijon mustard
Cut turkey breast into bite size pieces, roughly the size of a chicken nugget.
In a large mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil and use paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper to season to your liking. Be generous with the paprika.
Turn your grill up as hot as it will go (I set my Traeger Timberline at 500 degrees). Place nuggets on grill and leave the lid open, rotating the nuggets every couple minutes until they’re cooked all the way through.
For the homemade Chick-fil-A sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate.
Whitetail Mac Jr. inspired by McDonald’s Big Mac
Possibly the most recognizable burger in the world, the Big Mac from McDonald’s is a fast food staple. The burger I’ve created here is a less aggressive version of that, not using two patties or three buns like the real thing. I’ve also opted to use Thousand Island dressing rather than creating the “secret sauce,” which are interchangeable for a meal like this.
1 lb of ground venison 1 egg 1/8 cup breadcrumbs Sesame seed buns Shredded lettuce Pickles Thousand Island dressing
Mix ground meat, egg, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. To form patties, use a measuring cup to make all patties a uniformed size. A .25 cup measuring cup will usually get you four patties that are .25 lbs.
Set grill to 400 degrees. Flip the burgers every couple of minutes, and cook for roughly 10 minutes total.
Serve right away on a sesame seed bun with lettuce, pickles, and Thousand Island dressing.
