Merguez Goes to the Potluck
I’ve decided that merguez deserves a little more attention than it usually gets.
At Lucky Dog Farm, our merguez is a mildly spicy lamb sausage with North African flavors—warm spices, a little heat, and plenty of good lamb flavor. Usually I think of it as dinner: grilled, browned in a skillet, or tucked into something hearty.
But recently I got to thinking: why not turn it into party food?
So I did. I made it for the pot luck the Saturday night of Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival—and it was amazing.
These little merguez sausage and cheese balls are easy to make, easy to eat, and just a little different from the usual sausage-and-cheese appetizer. The lamb and spices bring plenty of flavor, while the cheese makes them rich and savory.
And then there’s the apple chutney.
The sweet-tart apples cut through the richness of the sausage and cheese, while the warm spices in the chutney play nicely with the merguez.
In other words: a little sausage ball, a dab of apple chutney, and you've got a pretty terrific fall appetizer.
A good Vermont combination
I particularly like this combination because it brings together two things Vermont does very well: lamb and apples.
The lamb comes from right here at Lucky Dog Farm, where our sheep spend their days out on pasture. The apples can come from a Vermont orchard—or from that apple tree in your yard that's dropping apples faster than you can pick them up.
That's one of the things I like about cooking with local food. It doesn't have to be complicated. Start with good ingredients, add a little imagination, and you can come up with something pretty special.
Merguez Sausage & Cheese Balls
Makes about 30–36 small sausage balls
Ingredients
For the sausage balls:
1 pound Lucky Dog Farm merguez sausage, removed from casings if necessary
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the apple chutney:
2 medium apples, cored and finely diced (I don’t peel them.)
½ small onion, finely chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey or brown sugar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
Make the chutney
Put the apples, onion, cider vinegar, honey or brown sugar, water, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a small saucepan.
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the mixture has thickened. Pay close attention during the last few minutes—it’s a thick mixture and you don’t want it to scorch. If you have an Instant Pot, you can cook it on high pressure for 5 minutes, quick release, and take the lid off to let some of the water evaporate.
Taste and adjust if needed—a little more honey for sweetness or another splash of vinegar for tang.
Let cool. The chutney can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated.
Make the sausage balls
Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Put the merguez, cheddar, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, Dijon and black pepper into a large bowl. Mix until well combined. Your hands work best.
Form into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15–18 minutes, until cooked through and nicely browned.
Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
To serve
Put the sausage balls on a platter with the apple chutney alongside. They're good warm or at room temperature.
For a party, you can put a small spoonful of chutney on each sausage ball and secure it with a toothpick. If you're taking them to a potluck, keep the chutney separate until you're ready to serve.
And don't worry about making the sausage balls perfectly round. They're sausage balls. Rustic is just fine.
If you've got Lucky Dog Farm merguez in your freezer, this is a good excuse to pull some out.
And if you don't have any yet, well… that's what the freezer is for.
Happy cooking—and happy fall!
— Farmer Judith
Lucky Dog Farm
South Strafford, Vermont