Gyro Brats

I didn't make these.  I bought these.  Had them for dinner with a little lemon dill rice pilaf and a cooked spinach, tomato and feta salad.  I know.  It's just a sausage.  But it's not just a sausage!  What makes an excellent sausage isn't what it looks like, but what's inside.  And I love these sausages.  Having that perfectly spiced, gamey lamb flavor packed into a sausage casing is just phenomenal.  And I just had to show them off for three reasons.

One, a friend said, "Blog about it!"  So I figured, why not.  Heh.

Two, so that I can mention that these gyro brats come from an excellent (thought slightly pricey but worth it) butcher called Paulina Market.  I was first introduced to Paulina so many years ago by a coworker who brought in this slab of beef jerky to share at work.  It was some of the best beef jerky I'd ever had.  And what I loved about it most was that it wasn't a thinly cut dried piece of meat, but a whole muscle, a full steak, smoked and dried.  So I started going to Paulina myself for that beef jerky.

Over the years, my purchases have expanded.  They make excellent sausages.  And that would be the other reason I go there.  It's what helps define a butcher for me.  Not so much what they carry in their raw meat cases, but what kind of prepared meats they make themselves.  And the variety of sausages, smoked meats and other charcuterie that Paulina delves into keeps me coming back.  Gyro bratwurst would be one of our favorites.

They do have an excellent selection of raw meats too, by the way.  And the staff has always been some of the friendliest and most helpful I've known.  If their price point wasn't more than I could afford, I'd be giving them my money for a ribeye steak or lamb shank much more often than I do.  It's rare.

And three!  I mention these brats and Paulina Market because I have some excellent friends.  For Christmas, some of them got together and purchased a gift card to Paulina for us.  And it was for an amount that put me into shock when I saw how much it was.  Their generosity is amazing, and I don't know how else to thank them for what they gave us.  Beyond what I've done already, which is thank you thank you thank you over and over and telling them I hate them for making me want to cry.  It was one more gift they've given us that has helped alleviate some of the stress associated with my unemployment.  And it means alot to me.

The brats, some beef jerky and, believe it or not, scrapple were our first purchases with the card.  They make great scrapple!  I couldn't buy beyond that because, like I said, I was in shock that day when I saw the amount.  And I think we're going to stretch and save most of what's left to use for some excellent grilling opportunities when the warm weather comes back.  Though I'm already giving consideration to what I might buy sometime in the next week to make something meaty and delicious.

A most blessed and gracious thanks to them once again.