Spiced Lamb Sausage with Pretzels

Prep Mince garlic. Pick parsley leaves. Cut lemon into wedges. Whisk warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and rest 5 minutes until foamy.

Build 1 Melt butter and add to the yeast water. Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl, pour in the yeast liquid, and stir to a shaggy dough. Knead 6 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 25 minutes in a warm spot.

Boil Bring 1 liter water with baking soda to a boil in a wide pot. Punch down dough, divide in half, and roll each piece into a 50cm rope. Shape each rope into a pretzel knot by crossing the ends over the loop and pressing to the dough. Drop pretzels one at a time into the boiling water and poach 30 seconds per side. Lift to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Preheat oven to 425F.

Bake Whisk egg yolk with milk and brush over the pretzels. Sprinkle generously with pretzel salt. Bake 14 minutes until pretzels turn deep mahogany and crisp.

Build 2 Whisk Greek yogurt, harissa, garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until pale orange and smooth. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small pan over medium 60 seconds. Add sauerkraut and caraway seed and warm through 3 minutes.

Sear Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet or grill pan over medium-high 90 seconds. Lay merguez sausages in the pan and grill 4 minutes per side turning often, until casings char and the lamb inside is just cooked through. Rest 3 minutes.

Plate Slice sausages on the bias into thick rounds. Lay pretzels on one side of a plate, mound warm sauerkraut alongside, lay merguez across the sauerkraut, dollop grain mustard and harissa-yogurt relish in the gaps, scatter parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.