What a Lazy Summer’s Day

We truly are blessed to live where we do. There is so much around us that you cannot get anywhere else. At least I don’t think you can. It’s all about the culture and climate of the area. And I’m not talking about the weather. I’m talking about the people.

All up and down the Mother Lode are tiny little hamlets, each with their own unique blend of people and traditions. All along the Delta are more small communities with their heritage. We have places with a heavy Chinese influence that dated back to the railroad days. And the Portuguese ranchers. And the Mexican laborers. I’m glad that America really isn’t such a melting pot after all. No, we are more like a salad bowl. You can savor the tomatoes, appreciate the chopped lettuce and all the other flavors that come together to create that salad. Yet the tomato remains a tomato, and the lettuce the lettuce.

We’ve talked about the tiny town of Lockford, California before. Their claim to fame is known far and wide in the Golden State. Even out-of-state visitors will return to Lockford for one reason only – the Lockford Meats and Sausage Company. From the Flea Markets in Alameda just across the bay from San Francisco to the Classic Car Shows in Jackson at the heart of the Sierra Foothills you will find the Lockford Sausage Food Wagon. They grill up these amazing Dakota Street Sausages that are made right in their shop. You can only get a Lockford Sausage one of two ways. Find their wagon at a street fair or drive to Lockford to buy direct from their shop. They don’t have an online presence. They don’t ship. They don’t need to. At the street fairs, theirs is the longest line. And if you do happen to visit Lockford, be prepared to stand in line for upwards of an hour or more just to get in the door. Our last visit to Lockford, we arrived ten minutes before the shop opened, and stood in line for about 50 minutes. The nice thing about standing in line is that you also make new friends. The woman ahead of us was from Lodi (as in Stuck in Lodi Again), she had family visiting from the east coast. They had but one request – the beef sticks from Lockford. So there she was, standing in line. The couple behind us were on their way back to southern California. They had found the sausages at a street fair the summer before, and since they were now passing through (sort of) from Reno, they had to stop. We were stocking up, as we always do at the beginning of the grilling season.

Yeah, I think before we leave California in a few years, we might just need to buy a few hundred pounds of Lockfor’s Sausages to take with us. Until then, we’ll be creating new and amazing ways to serve up our favorite Street Fair delights.

Crescent Wrapped Dakota Street Sausage
3 Dakota Street Fair Sausages
Water as needed
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 can Crescent Sheet
Ketchup as desired
Mustard as desired
Chips for serving

Heat oven to 375-degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove paper to a cutting board, set aside.

Place Street Sausages in a cast iron skillet with enough water to cover the bottom of the skillet by about half-an-inch. Cover and steam sausage for 20 minutes over medium-high heat, turning about midway through. Remove cover, continue to cook until the liquid as evaporated and the skins of the sausage begin to blister a little.

While the sausage steams, cut onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose. Peel and finely mince remaining half. Place minced onion in a small skillet with just a little olive oil. Grill onions until a nice golden brown. Set aside.

Roll Crescent Sheet out on the prepared parchment paper. Straighten up edges as best as possible. Cut sheet into 3 equal portions. Once the sausage is ready, remove from skillet. Pat dry with paper towels. Place one sausage on each section of dough, press lightly to create an impression of the sausage. Remove sausages, set aside.

Spread minced onion down the center of each dough portion along the impression. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut slits in the dough on either side of the line of onions. Place sausage back in place, wrap dough over the sausage in an overlapping crisscross patter to cover. Gently lift parchment paper, return to the baking sheet.

Place in the heated oven to bake for 12 minutes, turning sheet around at the midway point for even browning.

Remove from oven, slice in half. Serve with ketchup or mustard as desired for dipping. Barbecue chips are great as a side.

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“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
And I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
For I am meek and humble of heart;
And you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”
Matthew 11:28-30