Sausage rolls are a staple of both British and Irish food. They’re so common that it is easy to forget what clever things they are: A buttery puff pastry baked to golden perfection gives delightful flakiness and crisp texture to accompany the hearty meat filling made out of eggs, sausage, onions, and spices.
So often overlooked, this easy dish celebrates the amazing variety of British sausages and leaves room for improvisation. Add other veggies of your liking, or combine two or more types of links for the filling. You can make tiny canape-sized sausage rolls or big long hunks, pack them in a lunch box picnic basket, or serve them warm or cold for a light meal. Make honey mustard sauce, a cheese-beer dip, or homemade ketchup to serve with your rolls.
Try this recipe and make it your own with the flavors and spices you’d like the most. Make a large batch, cut, and freeze to have these little rolls on hand for a last-minute dinner or an afternoon treat.
Ingredients
- One tablespoon of vegetable oil
- One medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 pounds of sausage meat
- Three medium eggs (free-range if possible) divided.
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Two tablespoons of flour for rolling out the pastry
- 25 ounces puff pastry or shortcrust pastry
Steps to Make It
- Gather the ingredients.
- In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and add the onion to cook for approximately 7 minutes or until it starts to brown lightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sausage meat, cooked onion, and 2 of the eggs. Season with a couple of pinches of black pepper and a good sprinkling of salt. Mix well until all the ingredients are thoroughly and evenly combined.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into two 8- by 10-inch rectangles. Cut each rectangle into two long strips (4 total) and rest them in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- Place the cold pastry onto two lightly greased baking pans. In the center of each pie, form the sausage meat into a long sausage the length of the pastry strip. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and lightly brush the edges of the pastry.
- Fold the pastry over the meat filling to form long rolls. Flip the sausage roll over so the seam is underneath. Lightly brush the top surface with the egg.
- Cut the rolls into one-1/2-inch lengths. Or vary the distance to the style of registration you want.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Leave them to cool before packing them into your picnic basket or lunch box, or eat them right away. Enjoy.