There are few things more satisfying than biting into a batch of flaky pastry homemade sausage rolls. As an easy snack or a simple meal (not to mention a sure hit with children) the humble homemade sausage roll is the perfect ally to keep in the freezer ready for when it’s needed. This beef sausage roll recipe is simple yet has a beautiful fullness of flavour coming from the addition of some perhaps unexpected ingredients – namely brandy, cloves, nutmeg, sage and plenty of thyme. These ingredients make for a luxury sausage roll recipe like no other – perfect for a winter’s lunch, entertaining guests or as a just-because snack.
Making sausage rolls at home is a lot of fun – while many recipes will instruct you to cook the entire roll from raw, this preparation involves the par-cooking of the meat mixture before finishing in the pastry casing. The result is worth the extra effort and makes rolling and cutting perfect sausage rolls much easier. These can be left as larger rolls or cut into bite-sized pieces before the final baking if you so desire. Overall, we think that this is a definitely a contender for the title of best sausage roll recipe – but you be the judge!
What type of mince do you use to make homemade sausage rolls?
This is a beef sausage roll recipe, so we will inevitably be using beef mince. There are however different types of mince available (we produce three at Provenir – minced beef, bolognese mince and offal mince). For this recipe you can use any type, however we like to use bolognese mince, which has a slightly higher fat content and a fuller flavour. If you would prefer a leaner alternative then minced beef is also a great option.
What type of pastry is best to use in a sausage roll recipe?
Homemade flaky pastry is delicious, however we must confess – we usually opt for the store bought version. A good quality frozen puff pastry makes this recipe very quick and easy – who can argue with that? If you are making pastry from scratch, we recommend a traditional flaky pastry (lard included) like this Flaky Pastry Recipe from Margaret Fulton.
Beef Sausage Roll Recipe
There are few things more satisfying than biting into a batch of flaky pastry homemade sausage rolls. As an easy snack or a simple meal (not to mention a sure hit with children) the humble homemade sausage roll is the perfect ally to keep in the freezer ready for when it’s needed.
Time
- Preparation: 30 min
- Cooking: 45 min
- Ready in: 1 h 45 min
Ingredients
- 2 Large onions (thinly sliced)
- 30 grams Butter
- 2 tablespoons Brandy, whisky or calvados
- 2 teaspoons Fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh sage (chopped)
- 1 large pinch Nutmeg
- 1 small pinch Ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Black pepper (freshly ground)
- 750 grams Minced beef
- 375 grams Frozen puff pastry (thawed)
- 1 Egg yolk (lightly beaten)
Instructions
- Cook onions gently in butter until soft but not brown, then set aside to cool slightly.
- Knead the brandy (or substitute), herbs, spices, salt and pepper into the sausage mince. Roll the meat between 2 sheets of floured plastic wrap to a large rectangle about 1 cm thick.
- Peel off the top sheet of wrap and top the meat layer evenly with the onions. Then, using the bottom sheet of wrap to help, roll up the meat like a Swiss roll. If you would prefer a thinner or small sausage roll, assemble the meat into a rectangle shape rather than a square and roll from the long edge. Should you take the latter approach you may need to cut the roll in half to fit into the baking tin.
- Lift the meat roll into a greased shallow baking tin, seam side down, and bake in a preheated moderately slow oven (160°C) for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Increase the oven temperature to very hot (230°C).
- Roll out pastry to a sheet large enough to wrap around the meat. If you are using store-bought pastry, cut into strips wide enough to wrap around the meat with an extra 2cm or so for the seam.
- Place meat on pastry and wrap it around, brushing a little egg yolk onto seam and pressing it together. Place seam side down on baking tray and chill for 20 minutes.
- Cut sausage roll onto the desire lengths and then make a few slashes through the top of the pastry before brushing with egg yolk. Bake in very hot oven (230°C) for 10–15 minutes or until pastry is lightly coloured. Reduce heat to moderate (180°C) and bake for 15 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown and meat is heated through.
- Serve hot or warm – homemade tomato sauce optional but highly recommended!
