Glazed, flaky, juicy, salty, sweet, herby..it doesn't get better than a homemade sausage roll. Now that the days are getting shorter and there is a nip in the air, the smell of a fresh-out-the-oven sausage roll is immensely comforting.
I've been experimenting with different flavour combinations and these two have been deemed the most popular at recent events I have catered.
One is a traditional with a twist: Sage and chestnut roll with smoked chilli jelly. The other is possibly the first Persian roll out there (as most Iranians don't eat pork) with pistachios, barberries and sumac, a Persian influence.
Sage, chestnut and smoked chilli jelly Sausage Roll
You don't need to make your own puff pastry, I certainly don't. I use a ready rolled sheet.
1 puff pastry sheet or block, rolled out
300g good quality sausage meat/sausages
10 small sage leaves
1 red onion, sliced and caramalised
2 rashers of smoked bacon, fry until crispy and chop
2 tbsp smoked chilli jelly (I used Belazu)
Handful of precooked vac-pac chestnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp mixed spice
1/2 black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Slather the pastry in chilli jelly.
Squeeze the sausage meat out of their cases and mix in a bowl with all the ingredients bar the egg and only half of the sage, chopped finely.
Place it in a sausage shape, at the bottom, long edge of the pastry.
Roll tightly and pinch the ends like a cracker.
Brush with egg wash and pop in freezer for 20 mins
(That was a secret tip. If you do this and then egg wash AGAIN you will get that lovely shiny golden finish)
I like to fry a little sage in butter, just for a minute and then pop it on top of the roll evenly spaced where you would slice into 7. I have made mine VERY tall and thin to look a little different and elegant. Obviously you can make them smaller and get more out of one roll.
Pop on a baking tray on something non stick like silicone or parchment paper and bake at 190C for 20 minutes. I actually take them out after 7 minutes and brush one more time with the egg wash.
If you can find a tart redcurrant jelly to encase the meat or make your own, it does give that extra tangy hit. Most shop bought jellies are a little too sweet, so this step isn't imperative. Do make sure you use the barberries though (presoak in water for 10 mins if need be) as these little jewels are like sour flavour bombs and go so well with sweet meat.
Follow instructions for previous recipe but add instead, a small handful of chopped pistachios and barberries, and half a tsp of sumac, pepper, cinnamon and cumin. I put the red onion here too and I popped a few rose petals in.
Instead of the sage, add pistachios as a garnish at the time you do your final egg wash. Deeee-licious.
I do hope you make these.
