1. Prepare the Pastry Fingers:

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 1/8 inch thick.

Cut the puff pastry into strips about 2 inches wide and long enough to wrap around each merguez sausage.  This should be 6 pieces per sheet of puff pastry.

Wrap each merguez sausage with a puff pastry strip, tucking under ends and forming a point on one end, for the finger nail.

Place the pastry-wrapped sausages on the prepared baking sheet.

Gently press an almond into the top of each sausage, securing it with a bit of the beaten egg wash. This will serve as the "fingernail."

Use a knife to score the puff pastry lightly, creating the appearance of knuckles on the "fingers."

Brush the wrapped sausages with the beaten egg.

2. Bake the Pastry Fingers:

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the sausages are cooked through.

3. Make the Spiced Ketchup Dipping Sauce:

While the pastry fingers are baking, combine the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan.

Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s warmed through and the flavors are well combined, about 5-7 minutes.

Adjust seasoning to taste. If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend it for a few seconds with an immersion blender.

4. Serve:

Serve the Spooky Lamb Merguez Pastry Fingers warm, with the spiced ketchup dipping sauce on the side.