For a summer Shabbat dinner or even Father’s Day, I’d like to tempt you to try lamb and beef patties inspired by Merguez sausages.
Those sausages, known for their lively flavor and spice, are popular with Jews from the Maghreb — the region of North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea — and are a favorite in Israel. You’ll find them in lots of Moroccan, Algerian and even French dishes.
Here, the ingredients used to create these sausages are turned into easy-to-grill patties with lots of zip (though you can adjust the heat with the amount of cayenne you add).
To make the patties even tastier, you can add sumac grilled onions, harissa ketchup and tahini sauce. I like to serve the patties alongside a pilaf made from freekeh, which is smoky green wheat. Here are my instructions for preparing freekeh.
Grilled Merguez-Style Patties
Makes 8 burgers
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 1 lb. ground beef with 15-20% fat
- 1 Tbs. grated garlic
- 2 Tbs. paprika
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1½ tsp. ground cumin
- 1½ tsp. ground fennel (fennel powder), optional
- 1½ tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground sumac
- ½ to 1 tsp. cayenne, to taste
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 Tbs. water
- Vegetable oil as needed
- Optional: Hamburger buns or pita pockets, lettuce or other greens, zhug and/or amba, sumac grilled onions (below), harissa ketchup (below), tahini sauce (below)
Place lamb and beef in a large bowl. Add garlic, paprika, salt, cumin, fennel, coriander, black pepper, sumac, cayenne to taste, cinnamon, olive oil and water. Mix thoroughly. Let rest for 30 minutes, or cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Before grilling, pinch off a small bit of meat and fry in oil. Taste. Mix in salt and additional black pepper or cayenne as needed. Form 8 patties.
Grease grill grates with vegetable oil. Heat grill to medium high. Grill patties until cooked to desired doneness, about 4-5 minutes per side. Check by cutting into a patty, using an instant-thermometer (150 F for medium and 160 F for well done) or using a touch test (medium patty feels almost firm but has some give while a well-done patty is firm).
Alternatively use an indoor electric grill, stovetop grill pan, skillet or broiler.
Remove from grill. Rest 5-10 minutes.
Note: Ground fennel (fennel powder) is available at spice, Indian and Middle Eastern markets. If unavailable, omit — or use a mortar and pestle or a clean coffee or spice grinder to finely grind 2 tsp. whole fennel.
Sumac grilled onions: Slice 2 large red onions (8 oz. each) into 8-10 rounds. Combine 3 Tbs. vegetable oil with 1 tsp. ground sumac then brush on both sides of onion slices. Prepare grill as for patties. Grill one side of onions over medium-high heat until charred and beginning to soften, then flip and grill the other side. (Alternatively, sauté onions in a skillet.) Can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Use at room temperature.
Harissa ketchup: Mix 1 cup tomato ketchup and 2-4 Tbs. harissa (North African hot sauce) or sriracha sauce. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Tahini sauce: Stir 1½ Tbs. fresh lemon juice, 6 Tbs. cold water and ¼ cup tahini with fork in medium bowl. Stir, adding more water as needed by the teaspoon, until smooth. Add salt and additional lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate up to 3 days.