I always like to have merguez sausages on hand.
Every time I go to the butcher (I love Meat NW5, which makes its own sausages in-house), I pick up a parcel of merguez to keep in the freezer. Thin, generously spiced and made of lamb rather than pork, these North African sausages offer a potent punch of flavour that works in so many dishes, from tagine to pasta. Recently, realising that Oktoberfest was already right around the corner, it occurred to me: Why not use merguez as the star of a show and throw it in a bun? Who needs anemic frankfurters anyway?
The result is certainly one of the easiest merguez recipes I’ve made. First, I caramelised sliced onions, then infused them with a splash of apple cider vinegar. Next, I mixed together a simple yoghurt sauce with mint, garlic and lemon. Finally, I fried up the merguez sausages until golden-brown and fragrant, then tucked them into a bun with the other components, all finished off with a swipe of harissa paste.
The result wasn’t just wildly tasty – it was also crying out for a beer to go with. And so I reached for Newbarns’ Festival Bier. Inspired by the golden-hued festbiers that have been served at the Theresienwiese in Munich since the 1990s, this beer is akin to a higher-strength Helles. Newbarns’ version stands apart from the more mainstream options in that it’s made from heritage barley varieties. It straddles a fine balance: sweetly malty without being sticky, easy to savour but even easier to gulp down.
Alongside this alternative hot dog, it picked up the sweetness of the onions and the brioche bun, while its carbonation counteracted the sausages’ oily richness. (If you’re after more traditional Oktoberfest drinking, I think a darker-hued Märzen would also work beautifully as a pairing for this.)
Of course, you won’t find this dish nor this beer at the traditional Oktoberfest tents. But if you ask me, they make a good case for enjoying a different kind of seasonal celebration.
Merguez Hot Dogs With Caramelised Onions and Yoghurt Sauce
Serves 6
For the caramelised onions:
3 large yellow or white onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
For the yoghurt sauce:
200g full-fat Greek yoghurt
Juice of 1 lemon
20g fresh mint, stems discarded, very finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
Fine sea salt, to taste
For the hot dogs:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 merguez sausages (if yours are small and thin like mine; otherwise, use 6 if they’re full-sized)
6 brioche hot dog buns
6 tablespoons harissa paste
1. First, caramelise the onions. Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, tip in the onion slices. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and translucent.
2. Turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes–1 hour, or until the onions are golden-brown and caramelised (do not be tempted to turn up the heat and rush the process, as this risks burning the onions). A few minutes before they’re done, add the apple cider vinegar and cook until well-incorporated. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Next, prepare the yoghurt sauce. Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
4. Shortly before serving, fry the sausages. Add the vegetable oil to a griddle pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sausages; prick with the tip of a sharp knife so they don’t burst when cooking. Cook for 5–8 minutes, turning regularly, until they are evenly golden-brown and cooked through. (Note that my merguez sausages were quite small and thin; increase the cooking time if using larger sausages.)
5. To assemble the hot dogs, gently open the buns. Spread a tablespoon of harissa paste on the top half of each bun. Divide the yoghurt sauce between the buns, spreading a good layer over the bottom half of each.
6. Top the yoghurt layer with the caramelised onions, then add the sausages (use two sausages per bun if yours are small). Serve right away.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.
