Sausage Rolls

If you like pigs in a blanket, you’ll fall hard for sausage rolls. Featuring a juicy pork filling wrapped in flaky golden brown pastry, these savory snacks are sure to become your new favorite party food. Sausage rolls are beloved in Britain, so I’ve taken inspiration from British Cumberland sausage and seasoned the filling with a hefty dose of sage, thyme, nutmeg, and black pepper. The savory herbs beautifully accent the pork, while the bite of black pepper balances out the richness of the pastry, leaving you wanting more. Read on for more tips on how to make this classic British snack:

What People Are Saying:
"Made these as a Thanksgiving appetizer and my whole family loved [them]! Came together very easily." - RamsRecipes

"Made these for Christmas brunch. They went like hotcakes!... Great recipe exactly as written…. My 95 yo Dad loved them, high praise from someone who worked at the 'Auld Dundee Pie Shoppe. Thanks for the great recipe!" – abc3433

How To Make Sausage Rolls

INGREDIENTS

• Onion: Chopped yellow onion, sautéed to sweeten it a bit, gets the filling off to a savory start.
• Eggs: As with meatballs and meatloaf, eggs hold things together—i.e., they bind—as well as add some moisture, making the filling more tender and juicy.
• Ground Pork: The base for the sausage filling. For best texture, look for medium to coarse ground.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: Panko lightens the sausage filling, while absorbing moisture and seasonings and distributing them throughout the sausage mix, making everything that much more flavorful.
• Herbs & Spices: Inspired by traditional British Cumberland sausage, I flavored the filling with a classic mixture of sage, thyme, nutmeg, and plenty of black pepper. The flavor is reminiscent of a really excellent breakfast sausage.
• Frozen Puff Pastry: Encases the filling in flaky, buttery goodness, turning these rolls into a fabulous finger food. Make sure the puff pastry is thawed but kept cold in the refrigerator if using from frozen.
• Whole-Grain Mustard: Think of this as a 1-ingredient dipping sauce. It serves as a piquant foil to the rich rolls and adds some textural interest to each bite.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First order of business: Make the filling. Basically, we'll be making British-style fresh sausage. Kick it off by sautéing the onion and 1/2 tsp. salt in a skillet until softened, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Crack one egg into a large bowl and beat to blend; this ensures the egg is more evenly distributed throughout the sausage mix. Now, add the ground pork, bread crumbs, sage, thyme, pepper, nutmeg, and the remaining 1 tsp. salt; scrape in the cooled sautéed onion. Mix until combined, but no further; overmixing will result in an overly dense sausage. I suggest using your (clean) hands to mix, as it’s the most efficient way of mixing everything quickly and gently. Chill the sausage mixture while you turn your attention to the pastry.

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to a 10" square. Halve lengthwise to form 2 (10" x 5") rectangles.

Divide the sausage mixture into four equal portions (about 6 ounces each) and roll each into a 10"-long log. Arrange a log down the center each pastry rectangle. Fold the long sides of the pastry up and over the pork and press together at the seam to adhere. Pinch the short ends of the pastry together to seal. Transfer seam side down to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pork mixture and the second sheet of puff pastry. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator and chill the pastry logs to firm them up a bit and make it easier to cut them into rolls—about 15 minutes should suffice.

While you wait, rev up your oven 400° and whip up an egg wash. For the egg wash, just whisk the remaining egg with 1 Tbsp. cold water in a small bowl to blend.

Using a sharp knife, trim the ends of pastry logs to make clean edges. Now, cut each log crosswise into five pieces, about 2" each.

Using a pastry brush (or, let's be real, your fingers), brush the top of each roll with egg wash; the egg wash is a pro move that gives the rolls their glossy finish and helps them brown.

Using a sharp paring knife, cut two parallel slashes in the top of each roll.

Time to bake! Bake the sausage rolls until the pastry is golden brown and crisp, 22 to 25 minutes; don't worry, the sausage will be fully cooked by the time the pastry is done.

Serve the rolls warm with whole-grain mustard alongside for dipping.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Where do sausage rolls come from? Although they’re commonly believed to come from Britain, sausage rolls actually originated in France. They became popular in England when street food vendors began selling them in the mid-18th century, and today they are so beloved that Greggs, a large UK food chain, sells 2.5 million sausage rolls each week.
• What are sausage rolls made of? Sausage rolls consist of savory sausage meat wrapped in flaky puff pastry, glazed with egg wash, and baked. The sausage meat mixture is traditionally made with ground pork, although other types of meat are often used, including lamb and beef. Vegetarian versions are also common. It’s also important to note that, unlike typical sausage meat that you might buy in the grocery store, the sausage roll meat mixture usually contains egg and some kind of bread crumb filler, similar to meatloaf.

Storage

Once baked, sausage rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the formed, unbaked sausage rolls if you like. Place the cut rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer to an airtight container or plastic bag. They should stay good for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the sausage rolls in the refrigerator, then brush with egg wash, slash the tops, and bake as directed.