Serves 4
You’ll need
Slow Cooked Eggs
8 organic eggs
Merguez
360g lamb mince
100g pork fat
½ orange, zest
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbs mint, chopped
1 tbs harissa
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cumin seed
½ tsp fennel seed
½ tsp coriander seed
¼ tsp smoked paprika
Ras El Hanout Butter
300g salted butter, softened
1 garlic clove
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fine black pepper
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp all spice
½ turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Harissa
6 red capsicums, charred, peeled and deseeded
3 eschallots, thinly sliced
3 small long red chillies, grilled
1 orange peel
½ bunch coriander stalks
1/3 bunch mint
100 ml maple syrup
100 ml red wine vinegar
100 ml olive oil
50 g ginger, grated
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1½ tbs coriander seeds
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs paprika
½ tbs cumin seeds
½ tbs fennel seeds
sea salt
To Serve
4 slices sourdough, toasted
Method
Slow Cooked Eggs
Place whole eggs in a water bath and cook at 63 °C for 90 minutes. Remove eggs and plunge
into ice water for 30 minutes. Store refrigerated until you’re ready to use.
Merguez
Roast and crush spices in a mortar and pestle. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add lamb
mince, pork fat, orange zest and garlic. Mix on low for 2 minutes until incorporated. Add
all remaining ingredients and mix on low for 1 more minute until combined. Transfer to a
vacuum sealed bag and spread mixture evenly to create a 3 cm thick block. Seal bag and
cook in a water bath at 65 °C for 30 minutes or until firm to touch. Plunge into ice bath for
30 minutes to cool.
Ras El Hanout Butter
Roast spices and crush in a mortar and pestle. Whip all ingredients in an electric mixer or
using a wooden spoon. Press into a bowl or ramekin. Cover and refrigerate ready for use.
Harissa
Heat frypan over medium heat, add all spices; stir for 30 seconds. Add oil and shallots to
pan, stir to combine. Deglaze with red wine vinegar, scraping all the spices off the bottom of
the pan with a wooden spoon. Add capsicum, chillies, orange peel, maple syrup, mint and
coriander stalks. Decrease heat to low and cook down until nearly all the moisture has been
removed from the pan. Transfer to a food processor and blend until it makes a paste. Adjust
seasoning with salt to taste.
Serving
Reheat eggs in a water bath at 50 °C until warmed through. Fry merguez in pan until
caramelised. Spread ras el hanout butter over slices of sourdough. Place the merguez and
eggs on top. Spoon harissa over eggs and finish with torn basil leaves. Season with salt to
taste.