This, in all honesty, is for those mornings when you’re feeling your worst, the night before has taken its toll, and you need something to blow the cobwebs away. My Uncle Nigel first introduced me to merguez sausages. He lived in the south of France, and he’d always cook them on the BBQ. If you’re feeling too delicate to make your own merguez, cheat and get some from the butcher.
Ingredients
- 4 large crusty rolls
- knob of butter
- dijon mustard and hot ketchup, to serve
Homemade Merguez
- 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) good-quality minced (ground) lamb
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 generous tablespoons harissa
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes – optional
Horseradish Bloody Mary
- 35 fl oz (4 cups) (1 litre) good-quality tomato juice
- 4 double shots of good-quality vodka
- dash of dry sherry
- 1 heaped teaspoon creamed horseradish
- ½ lemon juice
- dash of Tabasco sauce
- glug of worcestershire sauce
- ice and your garnish of choice – celery stalks, rosemary sprigs, cornichons, olives, radishes, lemon or lime wedges, jalapeños
How to Make It
- If you’re going the whole hog here, make your own merguez sausages… using a pestle and mortar, grind the fennel and coriander seeds to a powder. Transfer to a bowl and add the lamb, garlic, harissa and a sprinkling of pepper. Add some chilli flakes if you want an extra kick, and mix thoroughly. Using your hands, take small handfuls and roll into rough burger or sausage shapes… or to fit your rolls.
- Place a frying pan over high heat and, when it’s hot, add the merguez and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side or until brown and crisp. (Alternatively, you could grill the sausages for 4–5 minutes on each side.)
- For the horseradish bloody mary, combine all the ingredients in a large jug and stir well. Taste for seasoning and adjust with pepper, extra lemon juice, Tabasco and worcestershire sauce. Put ice into the glasses and pour over the bloody mary. I’m a fan of a big celery stalk, rosemary and a couple of cornichons chucked in too.
- Spread the rolls with a thin layer of butter, followed by a thick coating of mustard and a generous dollop of hot ketchup. Add the merguez and serve immediately.
