Merguez-Frites Sandwich (Le Merguez-Baguette)

Merguez-Frites Sandwich (Le Merguez-Baguette)

Recipes with Merguez

France's ultimate street sandwich: grilled merguez stuffed into a crusty baguette with harissa, grilled onions, and — because this is France — a handful of frites shoved in for good measure. Found at every street fair, stadium, and late-night kebab stand from Paris to Toulouse.

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings

4

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 8 merguez sausages
  • 2 baguettes, halved then split lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 2 onions, sliced into thick rings
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • French fries (fresh or frozen)
  • Optional: Dijon mustard, ketchup
  • Optional: pickled turnips or grilled peppers

Steps

1

Grill or pan-fry the merguez over high heat for 3-4 minutes per side until well charred. At the same time, grill the onion rings in olive oil until softened and lightly charred.

2

Cook the fries until golden and crispy (deep-fry at 180°C or bake at 220°C).

3

Warm the baguette pieces briefly on the grill or in the oven. Spread harissa generously on the inside.

4

Load each baguette with 2 merguez, grilled onions, and a fistful of hot fries. Close it up — it will be messy. That's the point.

Tips

This is not fine dining and it's not trying to be. The baguette should be crusty enough to hold everything but not so hard it cuts your mouth. Day-old baguette, lightly toasted, is actually ideal. In Paris, the best versions come from the 'merguez-frites' stands at street markets — look for the longest queue.