Meaty Sausage Rolls
A sausage roll is so hard to resist and these are fully loaded with quality ingredients. They are moist and so darn delicious! Make them big for lunch with a squirt of tomato ketchup and a crisp salad, or cut them small for a delicious bite. Either way they will be a real winner and regular freezer staple!
Basic Formula
A basic formula for meaty sausage roll filling typically includes a combination of minced meat, seasonings, and sometimes additional ingredients for flavour and texture. Here’s a simple formula for a classic sausage roll filling:
Ingredients:
- 500 grams minced meat – sausage meat, skinned sausages, mince pork, lamb, beef, chicken or a combination of the these
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds (or other herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, black or white
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup or Barbeque sauce (optional, for added moisture and flavour)
- 40 grams breadcrumbs to soak up the fat and increase flavour
- 1 egg to bind the mix.
- Puff pastry
This is just a basic formula. You can get creative by adding other ingredients like grated cheese, mustard, chopped herbs, or even grated vegetables to suit your taste. Sausage rolls are versatile, experiment with different flavours to find your favourite combination!
Fabulous Flavour Combinations
Some of the most popular and classic flavour combinations for sausage rolls include:
- Classic Pork Sausage: A simple but beloved combination of seasoned minced pork with traditional herbs and spices like sage, thyme, and black pepper.
- Pork and Apple: Minced pork combined with diced or grated apples, which adds a subtle sweetness and pleasant texture to the filling.
- Pork and Leek: Minced pork mixed with sautéed leeks, providing a mild onion flavour and extra moisture to the filling.
- Beef and Onion: A combination of minced beef and finely chopped and cooked onions, (or caramelised onions), seasoned with various spices like garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Spicy Chilli Sausage: A fiery twist on the classic sausage roll, using spicy minced sausage and chilli flakes and add a little hot sauce for extra heat.
- Chicken and Mushroom: Minced chicken mixed with sautéed mushrooms, creating a rich and flavourful filling.
- Lamb and Rosemary: Minced lamb seasoned with aromatic rosemary, giving the filling a distinctive and delicious taste.
- Vegetarian: For non-meat eaters, vegetable-based sausage rolls with ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, or tofu seasoned with various herbs and spices.
- Cheese and Spinach: A delightful blend of cheese (such as cheddar or feta) and spinach for a tasty vegetarian option.
- Curried Sausage: Sausage rolls with a curry-spiced meat filling, adding a unique and flavourful twist.
Remember, sausage rolls are quite versatile, and you can get creative with the fillings, using different meats, vegetables, and seasonings to suit your preferences and experiment with new flavour combinations!
Tips for making great sausage rolls
Making great sausage rolls requires attention to detail and a few key tips to ensure a delicious end result. Here are some tips to help you achieve the best sausage rolls:
- Quality Ingredients: Start with high-quality ingredients, especially the meat. Using good-quality pastry dough and fresh herbs and spices will also enhance the overall flavour.
- Seasoning: Don’t skimp on seasoning. Sausage rolls should have a well-balanced and flavourful filling. Experiment with different herbs, spices, and seasonings to find your favourite combination. If you are not sure, fry off a little of the mix and taste and adjust as needed.
- Keep Ingredients Cold: When making the pastry and assembling the sausage rolls, it’s essential to keep the ingredients cold. Cold pastry is easier to work with and results in a flakier texture after baking.
- Work Quickly: Handle the pastry and filling quickly to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. If the butter softens too much, the pastry won’t be as flaky. Pop it back in the fridge for 15 mins before continuing.
- Avoid Overmixing: When combining the sausage filling ingredients, mix just until everything is evenly distributed. Overmixing in the Thermomix can lead to a dense and tough filling, I find 30 secs on dough mode is perfect.
- Properly Roll the Pastry: Roll out the pastry dough to an even thickness. Avoid rolling it too thin, as this may cause the pastry to break during baking. I roll to 4mm.
- Even Filling Distribution: Distribute the sausage filling evenly along the pastry sheet to ensure consistent flavour in each roll. If necessary cut off the ends.
- Egg Wash: Brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash before baking. This adds a lovely golden colour and shine to the finished sausage rolls.
- Chill Before Baking: For better results, refrigerate the assembled rolls for about 30 minutes before baking. This helps the pastry firm up and retain its shape during baking.
- Cutting and Sealing: Use a sharp knife or the Thermomix bench scraper to cut the sausage rolls to your desired size. Use a serrated knife if cutting a cooked sausage roll.
- Ventilation: Make a few small slits in the pastry top to allow steam to escape during baking. This prevents the rolls from becoming too soggy.
- Baking Time and Temperature: Follow the baking instructions closely to ensure the pastry is cooked through and has a nice golden colour. Different ovens may vary, so keep an eye on them as they bake.
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to making fantastic sausage rolls that are sure to be a hit with family and friends! I want one now lol!!
Make Ahead
You can definitely make sausage rolls ahead of time. Preparing them in advance is a convenient way to have a delicious snack or appetizer ready to go for gatherings, parties, or busy days. There are a couple of ways you can do this:
- Make and Assemble: You can prepare the sausage roll filling and assemble the rolls, then freeze them before baking. Here’s how you can do it:
- Follow your preferred sausage roll filling recipe and assemble the rolls with the filling and pastry dough.
- Once assembled, place the uncooked sausage rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they are not touching each other.
- Put the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour to flash freeze the rolls. This helps them retain their shape and prevents sticking when stored together.
- After an hour, transfer the partially frozen rolls into a freezer-safe container or freezer bags, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Store the frozen sausage rolls in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
- When you’re ready to bake, simply take them out of the freezer, brush with an egg wash, and bake, adding a few minutes to the baking time since they are frozen.
- Pre-bake and Reheat: Alternatively, you can fully bake the sausage rolls ahead of time and then reheat them before serving. Here’s how:
- Bake the sausage rolls until they are cooked and the pastry is golden and crispy.
- Allow the baked sausage rolls to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- When you’re ready to serve, you can reheat them in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Both methods allow you to enjoy freshly baked sausage rolls with minimal effort on the day you plan to serve them.
Meaty Sausage Rolls
These sausage rolls are full of meaty goodness. Cut them big and pack for a portable lunch or cut into smaller rolls, perfect for a party or platter!
Equipment
- TM5 or TM6
- 2 baking trays lined
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 small onion peeled and cut in half
- 100 grams streaky bacon cut into 3 pieces
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 250 grams minced beef
- 250 grams minced pork
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
- 40 grams panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 ½ sheets puff pastry or 1 portion cookidoo quick puff
- 1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 150 grams grated tasty cheese
- 1 additional egg for brushing pastry
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Pre heat Oven to 200℃ (fan).
- Add olive oil, garlic, onion, bacon and fennel seeds to Thermomix bowl and chop 4 seconds/speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Sauté 4 mins/120°/reverse/speed 1/ measuring cup off, simmering basket sitting on lid.
- Spread out on a baking tray to cool.
- Without washing bowl, add beef, pork, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, breadcrumbs, 1 egg, salt and pepper to taste and the cooled bacon mix. Mix on Dough mode/30 seconds. Scrape down. Repeat on dough mode if needed for a further 10 seconds, but don't over mix!
- Roll pastry out to approx. 20cm by 60cm, 3-4mm thick. Run your sausage mix down the middle on the long side. Spread some Dijon on top of the meat and sprinkle on the cheese. On the far inside edge, wash with egg and roll to seal. With the seam side down portion to your desired thickness. Chill for 30 mins.
- Place on a baking tray and snip the pastry tops, being careful not to go through to the filling. Egg wash the tops, being careful not to let the egg run down on the meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Cook for 30 – 35 mins or until golden brown, (you may want to rotate your trays after about 20 mins).