Merguez Sausage Sandwiches with Harissa Sauce and Mint Gremolata
Merguez’s bold and spicy flavor is usually paired with heavier meats like lamb or beef for hearty, deeply satisfying food. We decided to work with beef for this dish strictly for its convenience, and shape the beef into uncased sausage links. Look for beef that is 80-85% fat. Beef tightens as it cooks, and lean meats are particularly subject to shrinkage. Lower-fat meats will help prevent the sausage from shrinking too much.
We cut through the heaviness of this dish with a refreshing mint gremolata, full of bright citrus and bracing mint. Peel lemon for the gremolata with a vegetable peeler to get a little bit of pith, which adds a pleasantly bitter note. And start to caramelize the onions early. To get true caramelization, where you pull the sugars out and turn the onions into something soft and candy-like, you need at least an hour over low temperature. Merguez is traditionally served with a side of Harissa Sauce, to add extra spice and even more flavor.
2-3 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt, divided
1 teaspoon Cracked Fennel
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Zest of 1/2 lemon, with some pith attached
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
2 Tablespoons Merguez Sausage Seasoning
4 crusty sandwich rolls
1 batch Harissa Sauce
1/3 of a thinly sliced English cucumber
1. Cut onions in half lengthwise and slice into 1/4 inch thick half-moons. Put into a large bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Cracked Fennel seed, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Add more oil if onions are large and don’t look fully coated. Pour into a large non-stick pan, warming up over medium-low heat.
2. Cook the onions at low, even temperature until they are incredibly soft and sweet. They should be golden-brown all over, without dark brown scorch marks. If they look like they are drying out in the pan, add a little bit of water to loosen the onions, give them a stir, and let them continue cooking. When they are done, pour in balsamic vinegar and stir. Let that cook into the onions for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat.
3. While the onions cook, make gremolata. Pluck fresh mint leaves from the stem, which is too tough to be used, and wash and dry leaves if necessary. Pull mint leaves into a rough pile, bunch together, and finely chop with a sharp knife, turning the bunch a quarter turn to chop all the mint leaves fully. Put in a mixing bowl.
4. Shave lemon peel with a vegetable peeler to get a little bit of pith as well as lemon peel. Mince lemon peel. Add to the mixing bowl with the mint.
5. Smash garlic clove to remove the peel. Chop it a little, then sprinkle a little bit of the 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt onto the garlic. Continue to chop garlic, occasionally smashing the clove with the side of your knife to turn the clove into a paste. Scoop up garlic paste and add to the mixing bowl, along with the rest of the Kosher Salt.
6. Pour in two Tablespoons olive oil. Stir to combine and set aside.
7. Put ground beef into a mixing bowl. Blend ground beef with Merguez Seasoning until fully incorporated. Divide into 8 equal portions and roll into cigar-shaped logs.
8. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the warm pan, and then carefully ease sausages into the pan. Let them cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Roll and cook on the second side. They are done when they are cooked through and browned all over.
9. Slice rolls open. Spoon some Harissa Sauce on the bottom of the bread, then layer with thinly sliced cucumbers. Place sausage on the cucumbers, then top with caramelized onions and a drizzle of Mint Gremolata.
