Pork, sage and onion sausage rolls

From All Day Baking by Michael James, Hardie Grant Books, and Vanrooy
30 September 2022
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Recipe

Delicious-looking sausage roll that has been cut in half width-ways sits on a plate next to a knife (pork, sage and onion sausage roll)

Image: Vanrooy

From Vanrooy and Michael James comes this amazing sausage roll recipe. Onion and sage work so well with pork. Be sure to use really good mince from the shoulder and flavour it generously with herbs. It’s super simple, as well as quick and easy to make. If you have a choice, opt for nice coarse mince. Coarse mince is great for a sausage roll, because you get nice distribution of fat all the way through. This stops it from drying out and, importantly, gives the sausage roll more flavour.

Makes 8 sausage rolls

WHAT YOU NEED

60ml olive oil
4 medium brown onions, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp sage, finely chopped
1 Tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
1 Tbsp thyme, finely chopped
1½ tsp salt
1kg pork mince
100g breadcrumbs
1 quantity of puff pasty
1 egg wash
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds

WHAT TO DO

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a medium-sized pan. Sweat off the onions and garlic for around 10 minutes until lightly caramelised to give a bit of sweetness. Then, add the chopped sage, rosemary, thyme, and salt; stir in; and set aside to cool.

Once cool, combine the onion mixture with the pork and breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Use clean hands or a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly until all the elements are evenly distributed through the mince. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to roll.

On a lightly floured bench, roll out the puff pastry into a sheet roughly 30 cm x 60 cm and 4 mm thick. Transfer the sausage mix into a large piping bag with a 3 cm diameter hole. (This is not essential. A piping bag will make it easier to distribute the filling, but you can always spoon it onto the pastry if you don’t have one).

Lay the pastry so that the longest side is parallel to the edge of the bench. Cut the pastry in half horizontally so you have two sheets of 15cm x 60 cm. Pipe half the filling in a horizontal line a third of the way up each of your pastry sheets. Brush the pastry above the line of filling with egg wash. Lift the pastry along the edge closest to you and roll it up and over, encasing the filling. Use a nice even pressure, not too tight. The pastry should meet to create a seam 1–2 cm wide, which sits underneath the filling.

Brush the top and sides of both rolls with egg wash and lightly pierce along the top with a fork. Sprinkle the tops with yellow mustard seeds and cut them into 15 cm logs or desired length.

Lay your cut sausage rolls on a tray lined with baking paper and rest them in the fridge for 30 minutes. At this stage, you can also freeze them until required.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190°C. Bake from cold for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C and bake for a further 25–30 minutes, turning the tray halfway through to ensure an even bake. The sausage rolls are ready when the pastry is golden, puffed, and flaky. Allow the sausage rolls to rest for 10 minutes before eating. Serve with ketchup.