Sausage Roll with Tomato Sauce

About This Recipe

The sausage roll is a fixture of Australian bakeries, school canteens and footy sidelines, built on a filling of ground pork and beef mixed with breadcrumbs and grated vegetables, wrapped tightly in puff pastry and baked until deeply golden and flaky. The filling needs enough breadcrumbs and egg to bind it firmly, or it can split the pastry apart as it expands during baking. Grated carrot and onion worked into the mixture add moisture and a subtle sweetness without making the filling wet, and a proper egg wash brushed over the pastry before baking is what gives it that glossy, deep golden color bakeries are known for. Scoring the top lightly with a few diagonal cuts lets steam escape so the pastry doesn't split unevenly. Cut into pieces and served with a generous squeeze of tomato sauce, sausage rolls are portable, freezer-friendly and endlessly popular at Australian gatherings of every kind, from birthday parties to office lunches.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 lbground pork
• 0.5 lbground beef
• 1 cupdried breadcrumbs
• 1carrot(grated)
• 1yellow onion(grated)
• 2eggs(one for filling, one for egg wash)
• 2 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspdried mixed herbs
• 3 sheetspuff pastry(thawed)
• 0.5 cuptomato sauce (ketchup)(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the filling

   Combine ground pork, beef, breadcrumbs, grated carrot and onion, one egg, salt, pepper and mixed herbs in a bowl until well combined.

2. 2

   Shape logs

   Divide the filling into portions matching the number of pastry sheets and shape each into a log along one edge of each sheet.

3. 3

   Roll

   Roll the pastry tightly around the filling, sealing the seam with a little water.

4. 4

   Cut into pieces

   Cut each rolled log into 3-4 shorter pieces, depending on desired size.

5. 5

   Egg wash and score

   Brush the rolls with beaten egg and score the top lightly with a sharp knife in a few diagonal lines.

   Scoring the top lets steam escape as it bakes, which keeps the pastry from splitting open unevenly in the oven.

6. 6

   Bake

   Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and puffed and the filling is cooked through.

7. 7

   Serve

   Rest 5 minutes, then serve warm with tomato sauce for dipping.

Variations

• •

  Make a smaller party-size version by cutting the rolls into 1-inch pieces for finger food.

• •

  Add grated zucchini to the filling for extra moisture and a vegetable boost.

• •

  Use all pork or all beef if you prefer a single type of meat.

Storage

Refrigerate baked rolls up to 3 days; reheat in a 375°F oven to re-crisp the pastry. Freeze unbaked rolls up to 3 months and bake straight from frozen, adding 10-15 extra minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions