A few years ago, I was walking around a freezing firework display with my friend Laura, trying to find anything to bring us comfort in the bitter cold. We discovered a stall selling an incredible hog roast roll packed with pork, stuffing and apple sauce, which led me to create these delicious sausage rolls. They’re the ultimate comfort snack.
Makes 8
pork sausages 400g, skins removed, or pork sausage meat
dried sage and onion stuffing mix 50g
dried thyme 1 tbsp
ready-rolled puff pastry sheet 1 x 320g
ready-made sweetened apple sauce 100g (I use a chunky kind)
egg 1, beaten, to glaze
fennel seeds 1 tsp (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6 and put a large, flat baking sheet in the oven. In a large bowl, put the sausage meat, stuffing mix and thyme along with a big pinch each of salt and pepper and mix with your hands to combine.
Lay out the sheet of puff pastry and cut it in half lengthways. Spoon half the apple sauce down the centre of each pastry strip, about 5cm wide. Take half of the sausage meat mixture and shape it into a long log on the centre of one of the puff pastry rectangles, then repeat with the other one.
Brush the edges with beaten egg, then roll up and seal with the seam of pastry underneath. Brush all over with more egg, then cut each strip into 4 sausage rolls, leaving the cut edges exposed.
Take the hot baking sheet out of the oven (this will prevent a soggy bottom), lay a sheet of baking paper on it and place the sausage rolls on to the paper, about 5cm apart. Sprinkle over the fennel seeds, if using, and bake for 28-30 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Serve warm or cold. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and eat cold or reheat until hot through.
From I’ll Bake!: Something Delicious for Every Occasion by Liberty Mendez (HarperCollins, £22)
