Curried Lamb Sausage with Compote and Pecan Pancakes
This is one of the best brunch or light supper dishes, with a wide variety of flavors and textures. Curry and fruit are a natural combination, and the pancakes have a rich pecan flavor. The sausage and compote can be done a day in advance. The pancake batter should be made within an hour or two of cooking, and the pancakes made just before serving.
Ingredients
- Sausage
- Lamb - 3/4 pound, (trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes)
- Kidney suet or fat - /4 pound, diced
- Red Onion - 1, peeled and diced
- Salt - 1-1/4 teaspoons
- Freshly ground black pepper - 3/4 teaspoon
- Curry Powder - 3 tablespoons, or to taste
- Egg Yolks - 2
- Fruit Compote
- Freshly squeezed orange juice - 1-1/2 cups
- Passion Fruit Juice - 1-1/2 cups
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon
- Papaya - 1, peeled, seeded, and sliced into 1/8-inch slices
- Pears - 2, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4-inch thick, and tossed with lemon
- Orange Zest - 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
- Pancakes
- Potato - 2 cups, peeled and coarsely grated
- Pecan Pieces - 2 cups
- Red Onion - 1 cup, diced
- Eggs - 4, beaten
- Baking Powder - 1 tablespoon
- Cornstarch - 1 tablespoon
- All-Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup, unbleached
- Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- Freshly ground white pepper - 1 teaspoon
- Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons
- Basil Sprigs - 4
Instructions
To make the sausage: Grind the lamb, fat, and onion through the medium blade of a meat grinder. Add the salt, pepper, curry, and egg yolks and mix with your hands until well blended. Grind a second time; the texture should be pliable and not gummy. This can also be done in a food processor, pulsing to grind the mixture. Do not puree the meats.
Form into eight patties and refrigerate until set, covered in plastic wrap; this will take at least 2 hours.
To make the compote: Combine the juices, sugar, and fruit in a non-aluminum saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the fruit is just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and set aside. Increase the heat to high and reduce until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Add the fruit and orange zest and set aside at room temperature.
To make the pancakes: Place the potato in a large strainer and wash under cold running water 3 times to remove the starch, stopping to press out any liquid. Dry the potato on paper towels and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the pecans, onion, and eggs. Mix in the baking powder, cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper, adding additional flour if the mixture seems too thin.
To finish the dish: Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausages until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn them over and cook another 4 to 5 minutes on the other side. Remove with a spatula, drain on paper towels, and keep warm.
Heat the butter in another large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon the potato batter into four large pancakes, smoothing until thin. Cook about 3 minutes, until the edges begin to brown and bubbles form in the top. Turn with a spatula and cook another 3 minutes.
Reheat the compote, if necessary.
To serve: Place a pancake in the center of each warmed serving dish. Spoon the compote over the pancakes. Arrange two sausage patties on top of each. Garnish each with a basil sprig.
