Handmade Merguez Patties with Harissa Butter

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Finnsheep ground lamb
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tsp each cumin, coriander, and caraway, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp fennel seed, crushed
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• Harissa butter: 4 tbsp soft butter beaten with 1 tbsp harissa

Method

1. 1

   Toast and grind the whole spices yourself — freshly ground spice is the entire difference between good and great merguez.

2. 2

   Knead the lamb with the spices, harissa, garlic, and salt until the mixture is sticky and uniform, about 3 minutes. Chill 1 hour so the fat firms up.

3. 3

   Form into small patties and sear hard in a cast-iron pan, 3–4 minutes per side.

4. 4

   Top each hot patty with a knob of harissa butter and let it melt over the crust. Serve with couscous and charred peppers. (Or skip the work: our handmade Merguez coil uses sheep casing and a farm recipe.)