Sausage Rolls
Serves 10.
Think of this as an elevated version of pigs in a blanket, perfect for Sunday game days and simple (and fun) enough to make with the kids. Serve with a crisp salad for a meal or as a centerpiece to a gathering, like Angela Hartnett, author of "The Weekend Cook" (Bloomsbury, 2022), does. "When you find yourself hosting a street party and catering for about 300-plus people, you need things that are easy to make and simple to prepare in advance, and sausage rolls are perfect for that," she writes. "I like a classic pork sausage roll as it's wonderfully moist, but you could mix it up a bit by using two-thirds game, such as venison, and just one-third pork."
• 1 1/4 lb. pork sausage
• 1 tsp. chopped sage leaves
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves, from about 2 or 3 thyme sprigs
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 pkg. (2 sheets) of prepared puff pastry, thawed
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Put the sausage, sage, thyme and mustard in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix everything together until fully combined. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and fry a small piece of the sausage mixture until cooked. Taste to check for seasoning and adjust the mixture if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each sheet of puff pastry into to a large rectangle, about 4 by 12 inches.
Remove the sausage mixture from the fridge and divide into two equal pieces. Form each half into a long sausage shape, positioning each one in the center of a length of pastry.
With the long edge of the pastry facing you, brush a little beaten egg along the edge of the pastry closest to you. Gently lift the pastry edge farthest from you and fold it over the sausage, bringing the long edges together to meet each other and pressing them to seal. Crimp them together, then trim to neaten.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Gently lift the sausage rolls into the tray and, using a sharp knife, make slits along the length of each, spacing the slits about 1 inch apart. Brush them all over with the beaten egg. Chill the sausage rolls in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the sausage rolls for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before slicing each long roll into 5 pieces to give 10 sausage rolls.
