Make-at-Home Merguez
When I heard about the merguez sausages my friends Zachary and Clark cooked for dinner the other night, I asked them to send on over the recipe. In addition to the recipe, from the October issue of Saveur, they sent me their tips and a great photo of their dinner. I wish I had been invited over that night!
"Saveur magazine recently ran a cover story on lamb, which inspired us to do some lamb tasting. Our neighborhood butcher usually has fresh local lamb on hand, but they also get in lovely New Zealand lamb. (Can anyone tell the difference?)
The first recipe we tried, 'Merguez,' looked like the most complicated of the bunch, but it turned out to be quite easy--a perfect mid-week supper.
We used ground lamb from our butcher, instead of grinding lamb shoulder in the food-processor, and the recipe worked perfectly. We served the accompaniments suggested: chopped tomatoes (cherry or grape are best this time of year), red onion, and cucumbers. Instead of serving pita bread, we served hot buttered naan, which we prefer in both flavor and texture to pita.
We're adding merguez to our list of recipes that fall into the hard-to-find category of 'fun-and-different' weeknight meals that are both easy and yummy."
Once you try it yourself, I bet you will too.
Merguez (Spiced Lamb Sausages)
Ingredients:
1 pound trimmed lam shoulder, cut into 1" cubes or 1 pound ground lamb
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon harissa
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup yogurt
8 leaves basil, roughly chopped
Chopped tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers, for serving
Flat bread, for serving
Directions:
1. Put lamb into a bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and transfer to freezer to let chill for 30 minutes. Add 2 cloves garlic, harissa, parsley, paprika, coriander, cumin, fennel, salt, and pepper to the bowl; process until lamb is coarsely chopped and mixed with spices, about 15 seconds. (If using ground lamb, just mix lamb with other ingredients in a large bowl.) Divide lamb mixture into 8 portions and form the portions into 3"-wide patties. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb patties and cook, turning once until browned and still slightly pink, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer merguez to paper towels, set aside.
2. Meanwhile, stir together remaining garlic and oil, yogurt, and basil in a small bowl to make a sauce; season with salt and pepper. Serve merguez on a platter with sauce, chopped vegetables, and flat bread.
Serves 4
Saveur, No. 123, October 2009
--Tracy Schneider
Leslie on November 06, 2009 at 05:25 AM
Sounds yummy! Can you substitute the Harissa for chili sauce or hot sauce or does it have a special flavor?
From Vermont on November 06, 2009 at 05:12 PM
Harissa does have a particular flavor. But not to worry, use whatever condiment you want. We actually used a sweet-pepper harissa that was delicious (normal harissa is spicy hot).