Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Building a Better Sausage Roll One Bite at a Time

I used to work for a caterer back in the 80’s, and sausage rolls were one of our signature appetizers. I loved them, the guests loved them, and so it never occurred to me that there was another, vastly superior, way to make them.

We used to bake the rolls first, and then cut them into bite-sized pieces, but years later I tried doing the reverse, and was stunned by how much better they were. The biggest challenge with sausage rolls, is avoiding undercooked dough, which is significantly easier when you bake the bite-size pieces, instead of the larger logs.

This method does take more work, but not that much more, and the crispier results more than make it worthwhile. Above and beyond the cut then bake method, the other way to make a better sausage roll, is to make your own sausage filling, as we’ve done here.

If time is tight, go ahead and just take some prepared sausage out of the casings,  and use that, but by making your own, not only do you get to season it anyway you want,  but you also know exactly what you’re eating,  which is not necessarily the case with store-bought sausage. Either way, whether for an indoor party, or outdoor picnic, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 16 Sausage Rolls:
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
1 sheet prepared puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm’s brand, which is probably the one you’ll find in the market)
1 large egg beaten with a teaspoon of water
sesame seeds to garnish

28 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay! you're home! Missed you.

Unknown said...

This looks delicious. I wonder if I could also do this in a pretzel dough.

tardigrad said...

My! Thank you Chef John. That is beautifully put together. As always!
I'm gonna make these in my community kitchen, for the delicate folks we cook for, there.

Greetings from London.

arwiv said...

Im definitely making these.

Unknown said...

I have yet to master the art of eye-balling measurements... as such, I find myself trying to FRESHLY ground my black pepper in to a bowl, then feebly trying to fish it out with the appropriate measuring spoon and inevitably having too little or too much. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this step while i wait for my estimating skills to develop?

JJ

FoodwishesAddict said...

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderfully relaxing vacation, and that we are going to be treated with lots of new and delicious food wishes come true!

Mabylene said...

Hooray, Chef John is back and these look amazing!

Unknown said...

Just saw the vid today and am trying them for an appetizer tonight. Looks amazing! Thank you Chef John:D

Danifa said...

Hi Chef,
I really want to try the recipe but don't eat pork. Would replacing it with ground beef require any adjustments? (seasoning, proportion, etc)

I really love your work and will be making the French Vanilla Custard this weekend. (so excited!)

Thanks!

Daniel

Roberto said...

Believe it or not Chef, many (if not most) grocery stores in the Fly Over Zone don't carry fresh ground pork. And they won't grind a pound for you either 'cause they don't want to do the clean up for small quantities. There are both religious and health reasons for not grinding pork too.

But a one pound tube of Jimmy Dean, or other brand, breakfast sausage makes a great starting point for recipes like this one. You can dress up the basic sausage as you like, or even start with "Hot" or "Sage".

Alex in Shanghai said...

Thank you for showing us "how you sausage roll..." I love you, Chef John.

George said...

Chef John you are the Goose Gossage of your sausage

Unknown said...

Chef John,

Your baking pan had something between the pan and the rolls. What did you use?

Thanks, Jeff.

Pyrofish said...

This looks awesome. I regularly make the cherry pepper poppers for parties for my pops. These may make an appearance in the near future. Given their catering provenance, I would assume they are good to make and home and transport to be consumed within hours?

As always, great stuff!

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you're back from vacation! Thank you for an awesome recipe; I love sausages! What blend of herbs and spices would you recommend for a ground poultry sausage in this appetizer?

Jerome said...

Hi Chef John,
Thanks for the recipe, but if I may say so, before knowing your, I made several times the recipe from 'Foodbusker' (with caramelized sweet onions and balsmic vinegear). Did you see this one ?

Kennapop3 said...

I want to know your favorite Beer recipe. It as easy as canned soup you have to try it please.

Charging Rhino said...

If I use a pre-ground sausage, should I use the breakfast-style sage sausage, or a sweet or hot Italian sausage. Fresh-ground pork isn't common in our local supermarkets, and I'm only cooking for two so I don't need much.

Cynthi said...

Lovely recipe!Thank you Chef John for your awesome videos!

Vancouverite said...

Thank you chef John!!! My bf loves sassage rolls (I'm sure he would live off them if given the option). I am makin these tonight for him while he is at work (night shift) so he has a wonderful surprise meal when he gets home!
Oh and hi from Vancouver Canada.

Unknown said...

Mine are in the oven, can't wait!!! What an easy appetizer to make for parties (or all for myself, like tonight!!!) Thank you!

Alchemist said...

I'm excited to try this! Your recipes never disappoint

FYI, your Pinterest button is broken. It says "empty URL"

Unknown said...

THANKS CHEF JOHN FOR MAKING ME A STAR WITH MY FAMILY...MY HUSBAND LOOKS FORWARD TO DINNER EVERY NIGHT WONDERING WHAT CHEF JOHN RECIPIE I'M COOKING,,,NEVER HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTED!!

Jim Fielder said...

Making these soon, however a question - silicone baking sheets vs parchment paper. We decided to go with parchment, however I'm seeing you use silicone baking sheets. So any pros or cons with either?

Unknown said...

I'm from New Zealand and living in the States. Missing home and looking for comfort food I stumbled across this recipe for Sausage Rolls which are popular back home. The traditional sausage rolls I'm used to rolls with sausage meat and not ground pork, so used that but followed the rest of the recipe. Not bad but too salty. For anyone else from "down under" looking for a sausage roll recipe this is great but made a few changes.No added salt(I use 1/4 tsp celery salt instead) I didn't add nutmeg, that is just too much of a foreign taste to what is traditional for me. Changed to pinch of Cayenne instead of 1/8 Tsp, not used to heat in a sausage roll. With these few small changes it now tastes like a traditional down under sausage roll. Thank you for the recipe Chef John.

Andrea said...

Ok you do not say what temp oven to use.

Karen said...

I made these this weekend for the Worship Team. The first pound of sausage I made according to your recipe. With the second pound, I lightly brushed the dough with some mango pepper jelly before rolling up the sausage. I think that addition, with the little bit of sweet heat, made them superb! There were no leftovers to take home!

ScienceSusan said...

Pretty close to my own sausages, I would call chipolatta or bangers. I just make patties, owing to my aversion to work. When last prepared they became Toad in the Hole. I highly recommend, however, switching out the nutmeg for mace. Big difference.