Boldly spiced merguez patties will raise your grilling game

Ground meat typically finds its way onto the grill in the summer, shaped into patties, tucked into buns, and layered with toppings at backyard cookout...

Ground meat typically finds its way onto the grill in the summer, shaped into patties, tucked into buns, and layered with toppings at backyard cookouts and celebrations. But when the meat mixture is boldly flavored with spices and seasonings, it can be so much more than a burger.

Merguez is a prime example. The North African sausage is flavored with lots of spices, garlic and harissa. This recipe is a riff on merguez, adapted from my first solo cookbook, "Small Victories.” I’ve updated it a bit to suit my current tastes, which, honestly, have less to do with flavor and more to do with labor.

Instead of toasting and grinding your own spices, I now just call for ground spices. (Bonus flavor points if you’re using fresh, vibrant spices.) We’re also using a mix of beef and lamb for the ultimate savory, meaty mix. (Yes, you can use all one or the other, no biggie.) Lastly, I’ve swapped plain sliced cabbage for a simple, quick cabbage salad to make it a more flavorful, complete meal, so you don’t have to come up with a side dish. Topped with a cooling yogurt sauce, the whole thing needs nothing more, but some cooked rice, roasted potatoes or grilled pitas would be a great accompaniment.

If you do serve the merguez patties with pitas, you can tuck them into pockets with the cabbage salad and yogurt sauce for unbelievably delicious sandwiches. (This is also a great way to serve leftovers.) Feel free to borrow a tip from a trusty kebab recipe and thread the patties onto metal skewers, a few to each skewer, and grill them, before taking them off the skewer to serve. This would save you time when flipping the patties.

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