I absolutely love a sausage roll. If you don't know what they are, imagine England's version of a pig in a blanket. Growing up in England, it was always my favourite after school snack and there were always giant platter fulls being passed around at Christmas parties. When I'm home I can't walk through London Bridge train station without stopping at Greggs and grabbing one for the train ride back to Sussex.
Greggs definitely does the best sausage rolls but my recipe elevates them to the next level. The caramelized onions go so perfectly with the sausage meat and butter puff pastry. I add the english cheddar on top for even more decadence but you can skip this step and just sprinkle with a little Maldon sea salt if you want to be boring.
Here is what you will need to make your own:
1 large sweet onion
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 clove garlic
a few dashes of balsamic vinegar
1 sheet puff pastry
6 good quality pork sausages
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 egg
Sprinkle of grated aged English cheddar cheese
Make sure you defrost your store bought puff pastry sheet before you begin.
We have to start by caramelizing the onions which is a tad time consuming but totally worth the wait.
Slice your onions and crush your garlic clove. Place them in to a cast iron skillet with your oil and butter.
Season the onions with salt and pepper. Cook on medium, stirring every so often until they begin to soften and look translucent.
Once they are translucent, add in the sprinkle of sugar, thyme and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar.
Turn the heat to medium low because you don't want to burn them, you just want to let them do their thing whilst stirring them often. Slowly but surely they will transform in to jammy goodness. This process takes around 30 minutes.
Once your onions are ready, it's time to preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and then get to work on the meat.
I can't stress enough how important it is to get excellent quality sausages for this. I like to go to a butcher to get the best but if you can't, whole foods is a safe bet. There is nothing worse that fatty gristle in your sausage. I like to use pork sausage to keep it traditional but you can also use chicken if you can't find a good plain pork sausage. You don't want Italian sausage for this kind of recipe.
Remove the sausage meat from the casing and place in a bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper and add in a couple of dashes of your Worcestershire sauce. Mix to combine.
Next, lay out your puff pastry sheet flat and cut it in to three strips.
Spoon on your onions down the middle, length wise. Then the sausage meat on top of them.
Roll your pastry making sure the joint is at the bottom.
Now it's time to cut them. I like to make them small, around 1.5 inches each.
Now get your egg wash ready by whisking one egg in a little bowl. Once the rolls are cut, brush on your egg wash, then sprinkle with a little touch of Maldon sea salt on each one.
Place on to a baking sheet sprayed with some cooking oil and lined with parchment paper.
Finish with some grated cheddar on top. It's ok if the cheddar gets on the baking sheet because once baked, it makes the best cheesy crisps around the edges of the sausage rolls which make them even better.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Serve warm and enjoy!