Last week I enjoyed an afternoon tea outing with some friends. On the tiers, they had a few different goodies but one stood out to me - sausage rolls. It has been quite a while since I made them, and these were divine. Since that day I have been craving them, so I decided to have some for lunch and share the recipe.
Sausage rolls are a classic British staple enjoyed at parties and as street food alike. The British bakery chain Greggs sells around 2.5 million sausage rolls per week, or around 140 million per year. If that doesn't represent how good they are I don't know what will! The American equivalent to sausage rolls would be pigs in a blanket but these are way better! Once you've tried a bite of flaky, well-seasoned sausage roll, you'll understand exactly what I mean. So, Let's get baking!
Sausage Rolls
Ingredients:
- Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (We use Pepperidge Farms)
- 1 lb. mild sausage meat
- ½ tsp ground sage
- 1 large egg (beaten)
Instructions:
1. Set oven to 350˚ with the oven rack in the middle position. Follow directions for thawing pastry. Then cut each sheet into thirds along the crease line. Put to one side.
2. Mix the sage into the sausage meat. Then, divide the sausage meat into six equal pieces.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll each section of sausage into a thumb size diameter. (Make each roll the length of the sheet of pastry.)
4. Along the long side, brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and bring sides together over the sausage and seal.
If you chill them in the freezer or fridge it makes the rolls much easier to cut.
5. When chilled, remove from fridge. Cut to desired size. I usually cut each roll into thirds if for lunch or high tea. If for afternoon tea, will cut into five.
6. Lightly brush each sausage roll along the top and side with the beaten egg.
7. Make a diagonal slit across the top of each individual sausage roll.
8. Important Step: Line a pan with foil. (This catches the grease off the sausage meat and makes clean-up easier.) Then, place a meshed cooking rack, lightly sprayed with PAM in the pan. (Elevating the sausage rolls like this prevents them from sitting in the grease from the sausage which will soak into the pastry.) The rack I use has about a ¼ inch square mesh.
9. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until the pastry is lightly browned.
10. Let cool on the rack for at least a couple of hours before eating. They do not taste good when hot!