Posh Cranberry Sausage Rolls

I had never heard of sausage rolls before moving to the UK. In my mind, when I head sausages I automatically assumed they were the breakfast sausages we are used to in North American, which are essentially heavily spiced and salted hotdogs, or the bratwursts you have on the BBQ. How wrong I was. Sausage rolls are, no question about it, delicious. Essentially they are sausage meat wrapped inside puff pastry. There are no redeeming healthy qualities in them.

I had never made them before, but faced with leftover sausage meat and ready to roll puff pastry I decided to give them a go. Essentially you roll out the puff pastry dough until it is about as thin as a pound coin (about 1/2 a centimetre) and place your sausage meat (out of the casing) in a tube life fashion in a line down the centre. Roll the dough over, seal with a bit of water and cut into sections. Bake for 20min and your down.

Now, you can do this and create a tasty sausage roll. However, there are some key changes you should really make. First is the quality of the sausage meat, as I’ve discovered it really helps if you use good quality meat, preferably from a butcher rather than from the grocery store as it generally means less fat and more meat.

Secondly there what you can possibly add to the meat for flavour.  I used up some of the extra cranberry sauce from Christmas, along with some finely chopped sage and salt and pepper. A great taste combo that went well with the with our plethora of leftover cheese and meat from Christmas dinner. A bit of cubed brie would also have added to the flavour.

If you are looking for an even better sausage roll recipe, check out these English sausage rolls!

Posh Cranberry Sausage Rolls

Matt

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Ingredients

  

• 250 g Puff pastry
• 400 g Good quality sausage meat
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberry sauce
• 15 fresh sage leafs finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 fahrenheit, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out the pastry into a thin (1/2 a centimetre) strip, that is apx 4-5 inches wide, and as long as you can get it.
• In a bowl, mix the sausage meat with the sage and cranberry sauce. Season with salt a pepper. Place this in a line the long way down the pastry. Carefully fold the pastry over the meat and press to seal with the other pastry, forming pastry sausage! You may find it easier to brush the inside of the dough with water first to help it all stick together.
• Carefully slice the pastry sausage into pieces about 2 inches long. Place a one of two slashes through the top to help steam release. Place these onto your prepared baking sheets.
• Beat the egg and brush it over the top of the sausage rolls. Place directly in the over for about 20min until the pastry is golden brown. Leave to rest for about 15min before placing on a cooling rack.
• Finally, bask in the praise from family members.

Check out the English Sausage Rolls in the picture below!