Ground Elk Pot Stickers

When I first started cooking with wild game, I swear I did not adventure out besides the basic: steaks, burgers and spaghetti. However, my culinary journey has evolved, and I now find joy in exploring various recipes using wild game for everything and I love it. I rarely purchase meat from the grocery store and that is the best part of the outdoors because you're pretty much always hunting for groceries! Let me tell you, this elk is some top-tier meat! It took my dad and I four years to master the art of DIY (do it yourself) OTC (over the counter) elk hunting, and now I'm incredibly grateful to be able to incorporate it into my cooking.

Pot stickers have always been my ultimate favorite restaurant dish, so I was thrilled to try making them myself! These pot stickers are bursting with flavor. While they do require a bit of prep time, the end result is undoubtedly worth it.

For a visual or hands-on demonstration of how I prepared this recipe, you can follow and check out Bloom Outdoors on Tik-Tok.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground elk

• 2 tablespoon honey

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3-4 carrots

• 3 green onions

• 1 package wonton wrappers

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Start by slicing your green onions and setting aside, reserving two for cooking and one for topping. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots lengthwise and set them aside.

2. In a large pan over medium heat, add ground elk, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, ground ginger and minced garlic. Cook the mixture until meat is no longer pink.

3. Add red pepper flakes, carrots and green onions. Combine and allow the flavors to meld.

4. Carefully tilt the pan on an angle so that the fluids collect on one side and push the meat to the high side of the pan. Use a baster to suction the excess fluids from the lower side of the pan.

5. My small town grocery store did not have wonton wrappers so I bought eggroll wrappers and cut into four. Fill wrappers with the meat mixture filling. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water (make sure it is wet, but not dripping) and run your wet finger along the edges of the wrapper.

6. Fold the wonton wrapper in half and ensure there are no air pockets or gaps. The water acts as glue, helping the wrapper stick together.

7. Repeat the process for each until all are filled and sealed.

8. Next, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook on each side for a couple minutes until lightly browned.

9. Once both sides have browned, carefully add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook for an additional three minutes.

10. Remove pot stickers from the pan and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

11. Serve with your choice of soy sauce, ginger sauce or sweet chili sauce. Enjoy!