Greasy Food to Tempt your Taste Buds..

Dish of the Week: Homemade Sausage Rolls

Australians love sausage rolls, and my Aussie husband is no exception! It has taken a long time to for me to come around to the greatness of Sausage rolls, as I think the ones you get in shops and cafe's down here are too greasy (if there is ever such a thing!). But when they made a slightly 'healthier' version on Masterchef, I decided to give it a go, and there is no way back now! I guess 'Comfort Food' would be the best way of describing this dish, some may even claim that it cures hangovers.... 

Makes 4 big sized  Sausage Rolls

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large carrot, peeled, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

4 thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

350g beef mice

350g pork mince

(alternatively just use beef mince, as it makes it less greasy)

1 tablespoon wild oregano (I use normal oregano)

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

2x375g packers Careme frozen puff pastry, thawed and halved (I think one packet is enough)

1 egg yolk, lightly whisked

Poppy and sesame seeds, to garnish

Tomato and/or BBQ sauce to serve

How to make the Sausage Rolls

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Heat butter in a saucepan on low heat, then add peeled and grated carrot and cook. Cover it with a lid and allow it to cook for 4-5 minutes until it softens. Remove the saucepan from the stove and add the carrot in a blender- mix until smooth texture. Put it aside and allow it to cool completely. 

Heat oil in a frying pan and add brown onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes, and set aside so that it can cool completely. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, then add carrot, breadcrumbs and mince. Mix it well together and divide into four even portions which are shaped into 25cm logs. 

Lightly flour the bench surface and roll out the pastry (important that you let the frozen pastry thaw in the fridge for a couple of hours before you start making the Sausage Rolls), and use a rolling pin to roll the pastry until 4mm thick. Use a good knife and cut the pastry in the middle, and place one of the Sausage logs across the closest edge of the pastry sheet. I roll the pastry 1,5-2 times to ensure that it is fully covered (normally half of the length- so that the rest of the length can be used for the second log- and do the same process with the second half of the pastry). I brush a little egg wash on the join to secure, and also brush a little bit of egg wash on the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

As you can see from the photos- when the sausage rolls have been cut into thin slices- it  really is the perfect finger food for a party. And I promise you that if you give it a go, compliments will come your way as they taste amazing! You can also serve the rolls as a lunch/ dinner on a lazy Sunday with thinly sliced potatoes, and the Sausage Rolls are very good reheated so I often keep leftovers in the freezer.  

Enjoy, 

Linnemoren