Sausage rolls have become a favourite of mine to make. Aside from the fact that they are easy to make, they are also delicious, easy to experiment with flavour variations, and my son loves them. That’s a win-win for me.
Plus, sausage rolls give the perfect opportunity to add vegetables to a meal because, at the end of the day, these bad boys are always covered in sauce and rolled in pastry… so the vegetables aren’t visible. I know, I know, kids are meant to learn to love vegetables by seeing them, right? Everyone who has been through that toddler stage, though, will probably agree when I say that some days you just want them to eat SOMETHING and it’s a bonus when that includes a vegetable. Hidden or not. In fact, it could be why I have such fond memories of my dad’s sausage rolls as a kid.
These pork sausage rolls are wonderful for those fussy days. Or for parties. Or for a Friday night when you just want to eat and watch the footy.
The use of pork, rather than beef, means these sausage rolls are kid friendly due to the mild flavour that pork offers. In addition, pork is also a good source of protein, thiamine, niacin, B6, B12, selenium, riboflavin, zinc, and omega-3. So it has extra goodies in it.
I’ve now made these quite a few times in our house and I’ve managed to alternate the vegetables without much difference to texture. I like to use zucchini and pumpkin but have also successfully incorporated carrot and broccoli too. Just ensure the vegetables are finely grated and the broccoli is really finely chopped. This makes sure you don’t get any chunky bits through the sausage roll.
These sausage rolls also use poached apple. I don’t really have any reasoning for this besides the fact that apple and pork just taste delicious together 😉 The apple is also the reason why you must grease your baking trays thoroughly (or line with baking paper). The apple juice will seep out a little and stick to the tray while baking. Rest assured, it all adds to the flavour and won’t ruin the end result.
Most sausage roll recipes will use bread crumbs to assist in bringing the mixture together and helping with retaining the moisture. I’ve opted for rolled oats instead as they essentially function the same but also add all those extra vitamins and minerals that oats are filled with. This is why the method calls for a 1-2 hour period of rest in the fridge. This probably isn’t essential but it does ensure the oats have the opportunity to soak up some of that moisture from the vegetables.
Dive in this weekend and let me know what you think of these tasty pork sausage rolls.
Pork Sausage Rolls
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 25 mins
Ingredients
500g free range pork mince
1 small apple, diced & poached
1 cup of finely grated vegetables (refer to notes above)
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 large clove of garlic, grated
5-6 sage leaves, finely chopped
1tsp grainy mustard
1tsp paprika
1tsp tomato sauce
2x sheets of frozen puff pastry
Milk for brushing pastry
Sesame seeds for garnishing (optional)
Method
Place pork, apple, vegetables, oats, garlic, sage, mustard, paprika and tomato sauce in to a large mixing bowl and incorporate together well with your hands.
Cover the mixture and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Allow the puff pastry to defrost on a bench and then preheat the oven to 200C
Cut the puff pastry sheets in half horizontally. Divide the pork mixture in to 4 parts and spoon the mix along the middle of each puff pastry sheet, running length-ways.
Before rolling each of the 4 puff pastry sheets up, ensure you brush milk on the pastry either side of the pork mix so it sticks.
Cut each roll in to 4 segments. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds before placing on a well greased baking tray, seam side down.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on top and cooked through.
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