While studying abroad in Lyon, I discovered the wonders of bistro and bouchon dining, opening my eyes to the many nuances of French food. I tasted beyond the stereotypes of cream and butter and discovered a gastronomic world deeply influenced by the Algerian culture. To a girl raised on oyster sauce, these new spices piqued my interest and my appetite. Just the mere thought of a sandwich filled with crunchy French fries and fiery lamb sausage makes my mouth water.
When I got my Kitchenaid meat grinder attachment this past Christmas, my second thought was to replicate the spicy Algerian merguez sausage I had loved so long ago. My first thought was to make a pork fennel sausage (like the one at Mozza Pizzeria), but I opted for the lamb since it's much harder to find a good merguez. Like any good student of charcuterie, I did lots of homework in order to find the right fat-to-meat ratio, spice mixture and technique. I always wondered why sausage was so delicious and I discovered that it could possibly, maybe, most likely be due to the amazing amounts of fat. So lots of fat equals deliciousness just as I had suspected. Don't worry. Most of the fat renders out during cooking so sausage is practically a health food. 
I found many different recipes for merguez, but preferred the ones using harissa, a spicy chile paste. It just seemed more authentic to me. The harissa itself contains ground caraway, coriander and garlic in addition to the reconstituted New Mexico and Guajillo chiles. So it's plenty complex on its own. I diced up my meat and fat and seasoned it with harissa, toasted fennel seeds and salt. Overnight all the flavors melded together. The next day, I ground up the meat and discovered the scarcity of lamb casings in Los Angeles. Everyone seemed to have hog, but when it came to lamb, I had no luck. Caseless sausage was the easy way out, but I have pledged to order them online for round two.
I made tiny patties figuring that each pita half would fit two, or three for ambitious eaters. Other pita fillings included hummus, roasted red peppers, red leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomato & feta salad and harissa yogurt dip. The harissa dip was simply the harissa paste thinned out with Greek yogurt. Easy to make and way too easy to eat.
Sides included roasted vegetable couscous and potato & chickpea stew.
8 Comments
Pierre
09 Jan 2009 09:01 pm
[c’est top] Everybody should go ones in Lyon, it’s a great city !
Margy
10 Jan 2009 12:01 pm
[this is good] Yum! It looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Mexid Cocktail
10 Jan 2009 03:01 pm
OH MY GOD THAT LOOKS GOOD!!!
cyndia
10 Jan 2009 10:01 pm
I’m salivating! It sounds and looks so yummy!! I would be hooked too!
demanda
15 Jan 2009 11:01 am
Julie, you are genius.
I have the pink Kitchenaid and meat grinder too! I will definitely have to try my hand at this recipe. thanks!!
amy
29 Jan 2009 06:01 pm
oh i love you making your own merguez.
Jeff D
05 Feb 2009 07:02 am
I have that same attachment, I don’t use it nearly as much as I should.
Arielle
22 Feb 2009 08:02 pm
It’s great that you made your own merguez AND harissa! looks really yummy! I love the shot of the pink mixer (I have the same one) with the ground meat.
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