Falling for Merguez, a Fiery North African Lamb Sausage

Wistful food memories inspire a recipe for homemade lamb sausage patties, fragrant with spices

These patties are easy to eat—grilled or pan-fried, stuffed in pita, piled on couscous, and drizzled with a garlicky yogurt sauce. Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

If it’s possible to express sentiment over a sausage, then the merguez would be considered my first true love.

I had my first taste of this North African sausage when I lived in Paris. It was unlike any I ever tasted. Finger-thin and fiery red-hot, these lamb sausages were taut, feisty, and not to be underestimated.