Merguez (A Tunisian sausage)

• 2 1/2 pounds shoulder of lamb, not too lean
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 5 tablespoons Harissa (harissa">see recipe)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• Salt to taste, if desired
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 16 feet lamb casings (see note)
• 2 tablespoons corn, peanut or vegetable oil

1. Have the meat ground or outfit a meat grinder with the fine blade.
2. Put the meat through the grinder.
3. Put the meat into a mixing bowl, and add the garlic, harissa, water, salt and pepper.
4. Blend thoroughly.
5. Outfit a sausage machine or a hand grinder with a sausage funnel.
6. Slip the casings onto the funnel.
7. Fill the casings with the ground meat mixture, following the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Twist the casings at five- or six-inch intervals to indicate individual sausages.
9. If the casings are not used, individual ''sausages'' can be made by dividing the meat into about 25 portions and shaping each one into a sausagelike shape.
10. When ready to cook, heat the oil in a skillet and add the sausages.
11. Cook until lightly browned on one side and turn.
12. Continue cooking, turning as necessary, until cooked through and nicely browned, about six minutes or longer.

lamb, garlic, cold water, salt, freshly ground pepper, casings, corn

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5819 (may not work)