Recipe Herbed lamb sausage (no casings)

JAS_OH1

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I adore the delicate texture and flavor of lamb. I acquired a taste for lamb just over the past few years, and I enjoy lamb the most marinated with olive oil, fresh herbs, citrus, roasted garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Some of my favorite herbs to use are parsley, sage, oregano, and thyme. Some people love mint, rosemary, marjoram, or other herbs, and this recipe is completely customizable depending on one's tastes and which herbs work well together.

I recently got the idea for making lamb sausage, and looked extensively trying to find a recipe using the same flavor profile as my lamb marinade, but no such luck, so I just gave it a shot (with a few additional ingredients) and it turned out way better than expected! Generally I enjoy a bit of texture with sausage, but with lamb, I enjoy a smoother texture similar to Greek gyro meat or Turkish kebab, so instead of just using ground lamb, I pureed the mixture in my food processor (which additionally helped the sausages hold their shape after setting up for 24 hours). This also aided in the prevention of any air pockets forming. I also added bacon to my mixture because the lean-to-fat ratio in my lamb was about 80/20 and I wanted to make sure that there was ample fat to create a nice sear on the meat since there were no casings.

Notes:
I used an ice cream scoop to portion out each sausage ( a large metal spoon will work), and I used plastic wrap to roll the sausages tightly and hold them while they set up overnight. It's a good idea to chill the food processor bowl and blade that are used to puree the meat, along with the stainless steel bowl for the puree, and the ice cream scoop (or spoon) to keep the fat from binding to them (it makes the meat puree much easier to work with). Additionally, I used my small processor to blend the shallot and roasted garlic with white wine and my larger food processor to blend the meat mixture and other ingredients.

Ingredients

3-4 cloves of roasted garlic
1 medium sized chopped shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lb of ground lamb
2-4 slices of chunked raw smoked bacon (depending on fat ratio of lamb)
1TBSP of finely minced fresh sage
1TBSP of finely minced fresh oregano
1TBSP of finely minced fresh thyme leaves
1TBSP of finely minced fresh parsley
1.25 tsp sea salt or other good salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 TBSP orange juice
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil for frying

Step 1:
Blend the chopped shallot and roasted garlic, adding white wine a little at a time as needed (scrape down the sides of the processor bowl with a spatula as needed). If you don't have two food processors, scrape out the mixture into a bowl and set aside. Blend the ground lamb and bacon in the food processor together briefly, then add all of the other ingredients except for the olive oil. Pulse and blend together, occasionally scraping down the sides with a stiff spatula until a smooth puree forms. Put the mixture in stainless steel mixing bowl and put into the freezer to chill (don't allow the mixture to freeze).

Lamb sausage - shallot and garlic 2.jpg
Lamb sausage - puree 1.jpg


Step 2:
Take a small amount of the sausage mixture and fry it up in a pan for a taste test, then adjust seasonings accordingly.

Step 3:
Place a sheet of plastic on the counter or a chopping block/mat, and using the ice cream scoop or spoon, place a dollop of the mixture about 2-3 inches from the edge closest to you and leave plenty of room on either side so that when the roll is completed you can twist the ends of the plastic to seal. Use the plastic to shape the sausage and roll tightly, then twist the ends and tuck under. Place each in a container and repeat.

Lamb sausage - dollop.jpgLam sausage - rolled 1.jpgLam sausage - rolled 2.jpg

Allow the sausages to set overnight. Unroll the sausages and fry in a skillet. These can be used in a multitude of ways, just use your imagination!

Lamb sausage in pan.jpg


Oh so tender and delicious, yum! The sausages held up their shape beautifully. I hope you enjoy these sausages as much as I did. This recipe will be the base for several other meal ideas I have, so stay tuned!
 
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Looking good!
I got a recipe somewhere, I think it used lemon peel & coriander leaf. Also without casing. Gotta find it.

I made merquez a couple times, in sheep casing. I remember it being nice as well.
Just a shame lamb is so expensive here
 
Looking good!
I got a recipe somewhere, I think it used lemon peel & coriander leaf. Also without casing. Gotta find it.

I made merquez a couple times, in sheep casing. I remember it being nice as well.
Just a shame lamb is so expensive here
Stupid expensive here as well. Good thing I don't miss it since I can't afford it! 🤣
 
Looking good!
I got a recipe somewhere, I think it used lemon peel & coriander leaf. Also without casing. Gotta find it.

I made merquez a couple times, in sheep casing. I remember it being nice as well.
Just a shame lamb is so expensive here
It's expensive here, too. I get Aussie lamb because it's less expensive than American lamb, and though I have never tried American lamb, I love the Aussie stuff. rascal swears by NZ lamb (of course!) but I have never seen it available anywhere.
 
Stupid expensive here as well. Good thing I don't miss it since I can't afford it! 🤣
It's a treat for us for sure, just a couple times a year I will get it. Thankfully the ground lamb isn't too costly in the stores here, but the rack of lamb surely is. We went out to a restaurant the other night and my DH got the braised lamb shank and he couldn't stop raving about it, so I guess I need to figure out how to cook that. I should have tasted his so I would have an idea of what spices/seasonings were used.
 
It's a treat for us for sure, just a couple times a year I will get it. Thankfully the ground lamb isn't too costly in the stores here, but the rack of lamb surely is. We went out to a restaurant the other night and my DH got the braised lamb shank and he couldn't stop raving about it, so I guess I need to figure out how to cook that. I should have tasted his so I would have an idea of what spices/seasonings were used.
Oops, now you have to go again. 🤭
 
It's a treat for us for sure, just a couple times a year I will get it. Thankfully the ground lamb isn't too costly in the stores here, but the rack of lamb surely is. We went out to a restaurant the other night and my DH got the braised lamb shank and he couldn't stop raving about it, so I guess I need to figure out how to cook that. I should have tasted his so I would have an idea of what spices/seasonings were used.

Lamb shanks are done in a slow cooker
With plenty of recipes out there. Meat melts off the bone .

Russ
 
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