Sausage Rolls

Easy British Cooking, p. 20

500 g [1 pound] chilled ready-made puff pastry

500 g [1 pound] pork sausagemeat

Plain flour, to dust

Milk or beaten egg, to glaze

Preheat the oven to 220C (425F) Gas 7.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before using. Cut the block of pastry in half. Roll out one piece of pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle about 42 x 20 cm [16 x 8 inches]. Cut the pastry rectangle in half lengthways to form 2 equal-sized strips.

Divide the sausagemeat into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 2 of the sausagemeat portions into long rolls, each the length of the pastry strips.

Lay a sausagemeat roll lengthways on each strip of pastry. 

I Americanized this recipe buy buying a pound of sausage meat and a pound of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, which comes in two sheets. I rolled up half the sausage in one sheet and half in the other.

Brush the pastry edges with a little water, then fold one side of the pastry over the sausagemeat and press the long edges together to seal using the tines of a fork – this will also add a decorative edge to the sausage rolls.

So Martha Stewart right now.

Repeat with the remaining pastry and sausagemeat. Trim the ends of each long roll. Lightly brush the pastry all over with milk to glaze, then cut each long roll into 4-cm (1.5 inches) lengths. Using a sharp knife, make a slit in the top of each sausage roll.

Transfer the sausage rolls to two baking sheets, leaving a space between each one. 

Ready to go! (I brushed them with egg.)

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C (350F) Gas 4, and bake for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the sausage rolls are deep golden, crisp and cooked. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve warm or cold. 

They're so pretty and browned when they come out!

My Rating: 3/5 "These are decent-tasting and eye-poppingly pretty. They're a snap to make, too! Just be prepared for a calorie bomb."