Homemade Herby Sausage Rolls

   

These make one of the nicest spring lunches – they’re light, tasty and herby, but they’re bolstering enough for an early April day when the sun is out but the air is still cold. I’ve always loved homemade sausage rolls – well, actually all sausage rolls if I’m honest  – but homemade are especially delicious, as you can choose which flavours and herbs to add to the meat mix. Sausage rolls were also one of the first things we made in Home Ec under the ‘pastry skills’ part of the syllabus, so nostalgia probably plays a part in their appeal to me too.

I used Delia’s flaky pastry here but even frozen puff pastry makes these a little more special than the bought version. Serve with herb salad and a chutney or red onion jam – lovely.

   

HOMEMADE HERBY SAUSAGE ROLLS

275g butter

450g plain flour

300g sausage meat (try Superquinn or split open sausages)

2 spring onions

Handful of fresh herbs: parsley, coriander, chives

Seasoning – tiny, tiny pinch of salt, and lots of black pepper

1 egg, beaten

Optional extras: garlic, lemon zest, fennel seed…

Make the pastry ahead of time (see link above). Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Chop the herbs and spring onions finely and mix with the sausage meat and seasoning. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface and cut into four equal strips. Press tablespoons of the meat mixture onto two of the pastry strips at  1/2 inch intervals and cover each with its corresponding pastry strip. Press down firmly at each interval and pinch the edges together. Trim excess pastry and set aside to roll out again. Cut the pastry in between the gaps and press again to ensure the meat is sealed in. Brush with beaten egg and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until crisp and golden and serve immediately.