Sausage Rolls

Sausage Rolls

A firm favourite at The Albion Tavern at this time of year is the humble sausage roll. Make them in advance, freeze them, chuck 'em in the oven when guests pop over, stuff face. Repeat ad nauseum (but without the, er, nauseum). These treats come courtesy of the White Witch of Christmas, Delia Smith, and her festive culinary bible, Delia's Happy Christmas. I had a go at making the flaky pastry and was pretty pleased with my first attempt, but use ready-made all-butter pastry to save a considerable amount of time and effort (grating a block of frozen butter is not particularly enjoyable). Oh, and for those veggies lurking out there, a seriously delicious meat-free cheesy version can be found by clicking here. Makes about 24.

Ingredients:
For the flaky pastry:
175g butter of block margarine
225g plain flour
a pinch of salt
cold water to mix
(or use 400g ready-made all-butter puff pastry)

For the filling:
450g good-quality pork sausagemeat
1 medium onion, grated
4 tbsp sage leaves, chopped
1 egg, beaten to glaze

Method:
1. Weigh out the fat, wrap in foil and freeze for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
2. When fat is frozen, unwrap, hold one end in foil, dip other into the flour and grate into the bowl. Keep dipping in flour to make grating easier. When done, mix the fat into the flour using a palette knife, making sure all pieces are well coated.
3. Add enough water to form a dough. Bring it all together with your hands, cover with clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
4. Mix the sausagemeat, onion and sage together in a bowl and season.
5. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to form a rectangle approximately 42 x 30cm. Cut into three long strips. Divide the sausagemeat into three and roll out to make three matching strips. You may need to flour your hands and the meat to avoid sticking.
6. Place one sausage roll onto each pastry strip, brush one length with beaten egg and fold the pastry over, sealing carefully. Turn so the seal is on the bottom and cut each roll into roughly eight equal pieces. Snip the tops with a pair of scissors to form three V shapes and brush with beaten egg. Repeat until all done.
7. Heat the oven to 220C/gas 7. Divide the sausage rolls between two lightly greased baking sheets and bake for 20-25 minutes (swap the sheets over during cooking so the rolls cook evenly). Cool on a wire rack.