merguez sausage

Donald Link is a New Orleans restaurateur with a passion for the Cajun food of his youth and a restaurant, Cochon, devoted to its delicious execution. His eggplant casserole is warmed with the spicy North African sausage known as merguez. But it works extremely well with lamb sausage, too, or with fresh chorizo.

Donald Link's Eggplant Casserole

butter

all-purpose flour

milk

salt

white pepper

nutmeg

Olive oil,

Salt

black pepper

fontina cheese, grated

Parmesan cheese, grated

For the béchamel: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk until pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add milk, salt, white pepper and nutmeg, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened and smooth, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the casserole: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and thoroughly coat both sides with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Roast until fully cooked, 12 to 15 minutes, then remove from heat but do not turn off oven. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, sauté merguez until browned and fully cooked. Remove from heat and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

Oil an 8-by-11, 2-inch-deep baking dish. Spread one-third of béchamel in baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, then half the fontina and half the merguez. Coat with half of the remaining béchamel. Top with remaining eggplant, fontina and merguez. Spread with remaining béchamel and the Parmesan.

Bake until hot, bubbling and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to rest for a minute or two, then serve.

In this summery salad, spicy merguez are grilled until seared, then served over a mound of couscous and vegetables that have been seasoned with herbs, cumin and plenty of lemon. Red onions wedges, grilled on one side only, are charred and caramelized in some parts while staying crisp and pungent in others. If you can’t get merguez (which are traditional North African sausages made from lamb, beef or a combination of both), you can substitute any other spicy sausages. Choose something with a bite to contrast with the juicy sweetness of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Note that those without grill access can easily use the broiler here.

Grilled Merguez and Onions With Mint-Lemon Couscous

water

couscous (regular or whole wheat)

lemons

cumin

extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

radishes

red onion,

merguez (lamb

cherry tomatoes

mint

parsley leaves and stems,

cucumber

pine nuts almonds

Make the couscous: In a medium, heat-resistant bowl, combine boiling water, couscous and 1 teaspoon salt, and cover with a plate or lid. Let sit until the water is absorbed, 7 to 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, light the grill to medium-high or heat your broiler with the rack 3 inches from the heat source.

Halve lemons crosswise and then squeeze the juice from one half into a large bowl. Add cumin, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Stir in radishes and set aside to marinate.

Place onion wedges and remaining 3 lemon halves, cut-side down, in a grill basket and grill until charred on one side only, 2 to 4 minutes. Or place on a sheet pan and broil until charred, 5 minutes. Transfer onions and lemons to a cutting board.

Either on the grill, or on the same sheet pan as you used for the onions, grill or broil merguez until browned all over, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer sausages to a cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm while you assemble the salad.

When onion is cool enough to handle, dice it and add to radishes. Fold in couscous, tomatoes, 1/2 cup mint, 1/2 cup parsley, cucumbers, nuts and a large pinch of salt. Squeeze the juice from a charred lemon half into the bowl. Taste and add more salt and lemon, if needed. Slice merguez on a bias into 1/2-inch pieces.

To serve, spoon couscous salad onto a platter, then top with sausages and any accumulated juices. Garnish with remaining herbs and a big drizzle of olive oil, and serve with remaining charred lemon halves on the side for more squeezing.

With the cooked grain prepped at home, all that’s left to do for our summery take on Moroccan couscous is barbecue the merguez and a papillote of veggies on the side, then throw the feast together with a handful of fresh herbs.

Summer Couscous

½ cups ml) chicken broth

¼ cup g) raisins

tbsp ml) harissa

¼ tsp seasoning (see note)

½ cups g) couscous

½ lb g) small turnips, quartered

½ lb g) small carrots, halved lengthwise

½ cup g) cherry tomatoes

¼ cup ml) chicken broth

¼ tsp seasoning

lb g) merguez sausages (about 8)

½ cup g) cherry tomatoes, halved

tbsp mint, chopped

tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

olive oil

tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

Become a pro in the kitchen with Ricardo Cuisine. Learn all the skills, techniques and recipes you need to prepare amazing meals and desserts.

Ricardo

In a small pot, bring the broth, raisins, harissa and couscous seasoning to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Cover and set aside.

Couscous

Preheat the grill, setting the burners to high. 

In the centre of a large sheet of aluminum foil, place the vegetables, broth and couscous seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Close and tightly seal the papillote.

Place the papillote on the grill, close the lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, grill the sausages for about 5 minutes, turning them several times, or until cooked through.

Vegetables and Merguez Sausage

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. 

Open the papillote. Add the vegetables and their cooking juices to the couscous and combine. Add the garnish and serve with the sausages.


Garnish

J’ai trouvé qu’il manquait de bouillon pour mettre sur le couscous malgré le fait que j’ai doublé le bouillon de poulet dans les légumes. Bien entendu, on ne peut pas mettre trop de bouillon dans une papillote… comme les légumes étaient encore fermes après 15 min, je vais les terminer dans une poêle en y ajoutant du bouillon assaisonné avec les épices à couscous.

C’est excellent! Goûteux et rafraîchissant. Je vais certainement le refaire.

Une belle recette, rapide d’exécution et très goûteuse.

Simple à faire, peu coûteux et délicieux

Je ne trouve plus ma recette préférée de Couscous royale de Ricardo avec merguez agneau et haut de cuisse de poulet

Je suis d'origine maghrébine, donc j'ai l'habitude de consommer du couscous, mais je dois dire que cette recette est vraiment originale et délicieuse!

Rapide et délicieux! C’est une recette parfaite pour l’été!

Recette trouvée à la dernière minute, super simple et délicieuse!

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/k5F4M7yZ

Top 3 merguez sausage recipes from across the web

The most viewed merguez sausage recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Donald Link's Eggplant Casserole

Grilled Merguez and Onions With Min...

Summer Couscous

Top 3 merguez sausage recipes from across the web

The most viewed merguez sausage recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Donald Link's Eggplant Casserole

Grilled Merguez and Onions With Min...

Summer Couscous

The most viewed merguez sausage recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine