Angela's Lamb Merguez Croissants
I have a hard time finding premade merguez sausage, so I decided to make some myself. This is not really a sausage, but ground lamb is pretty fatty, so it tastes like a true sausage. It is bursting with Moroccan flavour and just the right amount of spice. This recipe calls for MANY spices, but they all bring something to the party, so do try to use them all. Wrap a dollop of this into a canned croissant and bake it up for GREAT party appetizers! That is exactly what I used this for. This recipe will make about 40 croissants (5 cans of 8 ea).
Servings 40 croissants
Ingredients
- 5 cans Canned Croissants
- 1 pound Ground Lamb
- 2 tsp salt Dixie Crystal Kosher
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp sumac adds a citrusy note
- 2 tsp smoked paprika you can sub sweet, but the smoked gives depth
- 1 Tbl Harissa the dry kind or you can sub paste here
- 2 Tbl Garlic Paste an Indian ingredient that I use often; you can sub 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed into paste
- 2 tsp Chile Paste Amore brand, you can sub tom paste + 1 tsp cayenne here
- 1 Tbl fresh Cilantro minced; sub 2 tsp dried but fresh is better
- 2 Tbl fresh Mint minced; sub 2 tsp dried but fresh is better
Instructions
- Put ground lamb into a bowl and break up a bit. Add all the spices and mix thoroughly.
- Cook lamb in a skillet over med hi heat until 3/4 done. Drain with a sieve if it's very greasy. Let cool for a few minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (whatever is indicated on the canned croissants).
- Open up the croissants and separate.
- Put about a tsp +/- on the large end of each croissant and roll up. Pinch closed so they don't leak.
- Cook as instructed on the can - until golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
This lamb merguez is one of my favourite recipes. The lamb tastes incredible! It is actually better than the merguez I've purchased before.
It would be great as a ragout over rice or rolled into grape leaves.