Links

I figure three of the first steps towards making saucisson are learning how to grind meat, stuff it neatly in a casing, and make tidy links. For exercise number one, I followed the directions in Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book and modified the recipe for "Chicken and Turkey Merguez", using lamb instead of fowl, espelette pepper in place of cayenne (for the kids), and Banyuls vinegar instead of lemon juice for the full Sud de France effect. The results are, I think, not bad for a first try.

We fried up the leftovers for lunch. Less fatty, a little more herby (parsley and mint), and less paprika than the ones we were getting from the marché in Montpellier. The kids loved it.

Our KitchenAid made grinding and stuffing a breeze, at least for this quantity. Natural sausage casing is remarkably puncture resistant and easy to handle. A little more practice and we should be able to run it faster and really crank out the links.

Does listing the ingredients make this open source sausage?

• 2.25 pounds 90% lean lamb (85% might be better)

• 1/2 medium onion + 2 large cloves garlic, chopped very fine

• 1/4 cup parsley + 1/8 cup mint, fresh, minced

• 1.5 tbsp kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp espelette pepper (I'd do a tbsp if I had it)

• 1.5 tbsp paprika

• 1.5 tsp ground coriander seeds

• 1.5 tsp ground fennel seeds

• 1.5 tsp ground ground cumin seeds

• 1/2 tsp powdered turmeric

• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

• 1.5 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tbsp Banyuls vinegar

• 4 feet natural (intestinal submucosa) pork sausage casing