Pork, Apricot, and Pistachio Sausage

By
Gene Gerrard
Gene Gerrard
Gene Gerrard
Los Angeles food writer and personal chef Gene Gerrard shares his years of cooking experience and expertise by leading cooking demos at culinary expos.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/2/21
Pork, apricot, and pistachio dressing

The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
217 Calories
16g Fat
6g Carbs
12g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 217
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 21%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 45mg 15%
Sodium 221mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 6mg 31%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 310mg 7%
*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.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Pork sausage complements the holiday turkey, but it doesn't have to be done as a stuffing—it can be prepared separately and served as a side dish or dressing. In this Gordon Ramsay recipe, the sausage is combined with apples, apricots. and pistachios. It encases a spicy Merguez sausage and is then rolled into a cylinder shape, cooked, and sliced. You can assemble the dressing up to two days ahead, and cook it with the Lemon and Garlic Roast Turkey.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound ground pork

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 apple

  • 5 to 6 dried apricots, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped

  • 1 lemon, zested and grated

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 16 to 18 fresh sage leaves

  • 2 merguez sausages, or Spanish chorizo

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Pork, apricot and pistachio dressing ingredinets
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  2. Put the ground pork into a mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix together.

    Put ground pork in mixing bowl
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  3. Using a box grater, grate the apple into the mixing bowl, and combine with the pork.

    Add apple
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  4. Add the chopped apricots and pistachios and mix together.

    Add apricot
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  5. Add the lemon zest and chopped parsley to the mixture and mix until well-combined.

    Add lemon zest
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  6. Lay a 17-inch piece of aluminum foil flat on a work surface and drizzle with olive oil. Use your fingers to spread the olive oil over the foil. Place 2 sage leaves end-to-end on the foil, slightly overlapping each end. Lay 2 more end-to-end sage leaves next to the first 2 sage leaves, and repeat until all sage leaves are used. Sprinkle the sage with salt and freshly ground pepper.

    Leaves on foil
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  7. Divide the sausage mixture in half and shape into a cylinder. Lay the cylinder in the center of the sage leaves, then gently flatten the pork, running your fingers down the middle to make a slight indentation.

    Divide sausage mixture
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  8. Lay 1 Merguez or Spanish chorizo in the indentation, then measure and cut the second Merguez to fit the remaining indentation. Use the remaining pork mixture to cover and encase the Merguez.

    Add sausage
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  9. Pick up the foil at the end closest to you, and roll up the pork, jelly-roll fashion. Keep the foil tight as you roll. Pull the foil back to make sure the sage leaves are now clinging to the pork, and re-position them if needed.

    Add sage
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  10. Re-wrap the pork tightly, molding it into a log. Twist both ends of the foil, pushing the pork together so it's a compact sausage-shape. You can now store this in the refrigerator up to two-days ahead.

    Rewrap pork
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

  11. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 F and bake for 40 minutes.

  12. Slice and serve.

    Slice and serve
    The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel