Lamb Crépinettes à la Merguez

Spice grinder

Grill

Stand mixer with meat grinding attachment or meat grinder

1.

Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chilis. Grind them to a powder using a spice grinder. In a dry skillet, toast the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds until fragrant, about three minutes, and grind them to a powder.

2.

Mince the garlic, sprinkle with salt, and press into a paste using the side of a chef’s knife. In a small bowl, mix the ancho powder, ground spices, garlic paste, salt, black pepper, paprika, and olive oil. Set aside.

3.

Cut the lamb shoulder and pork fat into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the spice mixture, ensuring everything is well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Chill your grinder attachments.

4.

With chilled grinder attachments fitted to the stand mixer, grind the seasoned meat mixture through a small plate, running half of the mixture through a second time for a finer grind. Mix well with your hands to ensure uniformity.

5.

Test the seasoning by frying a small patty. Adjust if needed, then portion the mixture into 3-ounce patties. Wrap each patty in a 5-inch square of caul fat.

6.

Grill over hot coals or in a grill pan for about three minutes per side. Serve hot.

Ingredients

2 ounces dried ancho chili peppers
2 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoon coriander seed
2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds boneless lean lamb shoulder
1/3 pound pork fat
2 pounds caul fat

Cook's Notes

Crépinettes are traditional French flat sausage patties wrapped in caul fat. Caul fat is the beautiful spider-like web of fat that surrounds the organs of the animal. It looks like your grandmother’s old lace. Using caul fat to wrap these little sausage packages instead of casing makes this recipe much simpler to execute, and in my opinion, much more interesting.

French crépinettes are typically seasoned with five spice, sage, marjoram, or truffles. The street food scene in France has always been crazy about Morrocon merguez sausages and I thought this would be a fun summer twist. Ancho chili is my Californian contribution to the mix, borrowed from Alice Waters. Adding the pork fat (always a great idea) ensures a moist and tasty sausage and just makes it porkier.

This is my take on a merguez-inspired lamb crépinette. Grill over a wood fire, coals, or in a grill pan. However you heat, it won’t disappoint.

Thinking about summer in the South of France, this is meant for a summer pairing of rosé; however, you can’t go wrong with a red wine.