Minty Lamb Sausages

Introduction & method

I love a good sausage, me. And these above all - the key to it is, I think, rusk, and I've included the recipe for that - it's very easy and gives much juicier results than using breadcrumbs.

Make the Rusk

You'll need to make this ahead of time so it can cool completely before you use it. Preheat your oven to 210°C (410°F) if it's a fan oven, 230°C (446°F) for a conventional oven. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in the water. Knead it lightly, then roll it flat on a lined baking sheet. It should be about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes, then take it out. Turn the oven down to 170°C (338°F) if it's a fan oven, 190°C (374°F) for a conventional oven. Cut the part-cooked dough into strips about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide, and turn them so the cut edge is facing upwards. Bake another 10 minutes, then turn them again so that the sides that were on the bottom are now on the top. Bake for 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven - they should not have any colour on them and they should feel dry and fairly hard. Let them cool completely, then blitz them in a blender. I like mine fairly coarse, but you can make them as fine as you like.

Prep the Casings

If you're using natural casings, you'll need to soak them in cold water for an hour and then give them a good rinse. Depending on the diameter of your casings, you might need up to 2 metres (for narrow casings, less for larger ones). Rinse the insides also by threading one end onto the cold tap and running cold water through the casings. If you have kids, get them to do this - they'll love it. If you are using collagen casings, there's no need to soak them.

Make the Filling

Soak the rusk or breadcrumbs in the water. They are ready to use when all the water has been absorbed - 10 minutes? If you are not using pre-minced meat, make sure your meat is really cold. Cut it into chunks that will go through your mincer - keep any fat on, but be sure there's no bones. Fit the medium plate to your mincer and feed the mince through.

Mix everything together - it's best to do this with your hand. Keep mixing and squeezing until you have a smooth paste.

Fill the Sausages

Fit a nozzle to your mincer (or dedicated sausage maker). REmove the casing from its soaking water and give it a quick wipe to more or less dry it. Tie a knot in one end of the casing, pierce a hole near the knot with a pin, and thread the other end of the casing onto the nozzle. Wigle the whole casing on, then start feeding the meat mixture into the machine. As the filling comes through, guide it with your hands to make sure the casing isn't overfilled. Coil the sausage on the worktop as it emerges. When it's all done, pinch and twist the sausage into links.