Moroccan Merguez Ragout with Poached Eggs

Updated August 30, 2018

For those with a passion for runny yolks, it doesn't get much better than Shakshuka, that Middle Eastern dish of eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce. Of course, there is one way to improve on the dish and that would be by adding chunks of Moroccan merguez à la this: Moroccan Merguez Ragout with Poached Eggs from Amanda Hesser's and Merrill Stubbs' The Food52 Cookbook.

This ragout has a lot going for it—rich, roasty tomato sauce, fatty, lamby sausage, and runny, perfectly poached eggs that soak up everything that's going on in the pan. The recipe calls for lots of crust bread for sopping but we'd go a step further and steam up a bowl full of couscous to serve alongside, making sure that every last bit of ragout finds a home.

Recipe Details

Moroccan Merguez Ragout with Poached Eggs

Active 30 mins

Total 15 mins

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut into small dice
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound merguez sausage, cut into 1/2-inch thick-slices
1 tablespoon ras el hanout
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Two 15-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen
8 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, stems included
2 tablespoons harissa
Warm crusty bread, for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Toss in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the merguez and sauté until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the ras el hanout, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine and cook for a minute to lightly toast the spices. Add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs over the mixture, cover, and cook until the whites set but the yolks are still soft.
Spoon the ragout into 4 warm bowls and top each portion with 2 of the eggs, a sprinkling of cilantro, and a teaspoon of harissa.
Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
778	Calories
59g	Fat
27g	Carbs
38g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	778
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 59g	75%
Saturated Fat 14g	70%
Cholesterol 534mg	178%
Sodium 1684mg	73%
Total Carbohydrate 27g	10%
Dietary Fiber 8g	27%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 36mg	179%
Calcium 225mg	17%
Iron 7mg	38%
Potassium 1152mg	25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.