Recipes: Merguez Sausages

the appetizer:

Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat by Deborah Krasner includes recipes like Merguez Sausages; Beef Tongue with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce; and Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Vermouth Sauce.

Merguez Sausages

Makes 1 pound loose meat, enough for about 12 sausages

In North Africa and Paris, these sausages vary by the intensity of the spices used, this version combines attributes of a number of different examples and is easily made at home without casings. Note that the meat benefits from having an overnight rest before cooking. Serve merguez with bean soups, lentils, couscous, or Middle Eastern Fried Eggs (see page 352 of the book). I freeze the extra merguez meat, well wrapped, after forming it into cigars but before cooking.

If you prefer more heat, feel free to add more hot red pepper or harissa, the fiery spice paste of Morocco and Tunisia. I buy my harissa ready-made and prefer a brand called A Riche A, found at New York's legendary Fairway Market.

1 pound very cold ground pastured lamb (as fatty as possible)
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel or wild fennel pollen
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon strong hot Hungarian paprika or cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon harissa paste

Combine all the ingredients with your hands, working the meat lightly to disperse all the spices evenly. Form the mixture into a ball, put it in a small bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to age at least overnight or up to 3 days in the refrigerator before cooking.

When ready to cook, form the sausage into fat fingershaped rolls or cigars. Heat a cast-iron frying pan until it is hot and put as many little merguez cigars as can fit comfortably without crowding in the pan. Immediately turn the heat to medium-low and panfry, shaking the pan, until they are browned on all sides. Remove and repeat if necessary until all are cooked to medium rare.