1 pound ground elk
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Combine ground elk, paprika, pepper, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic and bread crumbs and refrigerate overnight.
2. Divide meat into 4 equal portions and form into round balls. Flatten slightly with your hands and set aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the elk burgers. Fry until browned, then flip and cook the other side. Continue frying until cooked through to the center, about 12-15 minutes.
4. Serve with Sourdough Bread or hamburger buns and your favorite condiments.

Makes 4 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, water and sugar in a bowl. Cover and seal for 3 days.
2. Stir in salt and remaining flour to form a soft dough.
3. Knead on a floured surface, transfer to a greased bowl and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough, separate into 2 pieces and shape into rounds. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and allow to rise until double in bulk again.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Brush with egg wash if desired and bake until done, about 30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

There are few things left in the pantry, except for a surplus of flour and sugar. I decided to make a sourdough starter, since I've never tried before, which seems a little over ambitious considering the circumstances. It sat on the floor for three days getting sour. Something about the whole process of purposely spoiling something seems a little strange. I mixed in the rest of the flour to make a dough and let it rise. It was beautiful. The dough was perfectly soft and plyable. Then I pounded it down and shaped it to rise again. An hour later, it had not risen at all. Somehow I killed it. I had intended on making sourdough buns and a loaf of Sourdough Bread. The buns were crispy, yet still airey, more like a sourdough biscuit.

We used the "buns" as a foundation for Elk Burgers. I was given a pound of ground elk and I did not want it to go to waste. I don't think that I've ever had ground elk before. I did not find it any different than lean ground beef. There was no gamey taste or anything. The burgers were juicy and flavorful and were actually nice in contrast to the overly crispy buns. Since the sourdough bread was basically inedible, I used some of it for bread crumbs to hold in the moisture in the burgers. We topped them with the usual condiments; cheese, ketchup and bacon.