Fennel, Mint & Lemon Lamb Sausage with Whisky Cream Sauce

For the sausage:

Roast the fennel seeds and chili flakes in a small heavy pan over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until just aromatic but not browned. Lightly grind the fennel seeds and chili flakes in a spice/coffee grinder. You’ll use 1½ teaspoon of it for this recipe and set aside the remainder for another use (see tips).

Use your hands to mix together the 1 1/2 teaspoons of fennel/chili mix, ground lamb and the rest of the sausage ingredients until well combined. You can form into patties and cook immediately (see cooking instructions below), or for a more restaurant-style presentation, form the mixture into a sausage about 2” in diameter. Roll and wrap the sausage link tightly in plastic, then turn the ends of the plastic in opposite directions to tighten the wrapping. Continue to tighten until very firm, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat a heavy frying pan over medium high heat. Unwrap the sausage, cut ½” thick slices and fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Flip and fry until browned on the other side, about 3 more minutes. * Don’t overcrowd the pan — it’s better to fry it in 2 batches than to end up with steamed sausage.

Remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the grease and tent it with foil to keep warm.

For the whisky sauce:

Lower the heat to medium. If the pan is very dry after frying the sausage, add a little olive oil to saute the onion and garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and saute, stirring constantly until aromatic, about 1 minute. Try not to overbrown/burn.

Deglaze the pan by adding the chicken stock and whisky. (You can substitute white wine for the whisky in the sauce, or just add more chicken stock if you prefer.) Reduce the liquid until the pan is almost dry, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the cream and continue to cook at a quick simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes more.

Arrange the sausages on the plate and spoon the sauce over top. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green of your choice… Or try some candied turnips!

Ith gu leòir! (Eat Plenty)

Tips:

– I use lamb from right here on my little island. It tends to be a bit fattier than ground lamb from Australia/NZ (which is what is in most North American grocery stores). You can always mix a little ground pork in with the lamb for a moister, juicier sausage.
– Use the remaining fennel/chili mixture as a rub for your next roast (chicken, beef or pork), or in tacos or tomato sauce.
– Preserved lemons are a North African condiment that is my secret ingredient in many dishes. They’re easy to make at home and last indefinitely.