They are two of my soft spots, food wise. I admit your average sausage roll from deli counters around the country might not be the best for you but many cafes make their own. Why not make your own to know what exactly goes into them?
I made some last night with sausages from Wexford's Pat O'Neill who sells his quality pork products at the Gorey Farmers Market and has a few awards under his belt.
It is easy peasy, you can either make the pastry or buy the puff rolls from the shop, to make a shortcrust pastry you only need a bit of butter, flour, salt and a bit of water.
Here's the quantity I had for 16 small rolls:
100gr butter
200gr flour
salt
water
olive oil (for the oven tray)
8 good quality sausages
To make the pastry, mix the flour and butter until it is crumbly. Add salt. Add water gradually to the flour and butter mix and knead until is soft and smooth, and not to sloppy. Roll into a ball and leave the pastry in the fridge for about an hour or so.
In the meantime, power boil the sausages, for 5-10 minutes (to make sure they are properly cooked).
Roll the pastry, cut the sausages in half (unless you want to do big sausage rolls, then just keep the whole sausage) and then roll the sausages in pastry squares, big enough to be able to wrap them nicely and close both ends. Preheat the oven to 190C roughly and once it is hot enough, place the rolls on a baking tray sprinkled with a bit of oil so they don't stick to the bottom. Cook for about 30-40 minutes, until you see the pastry is cooked and they have a nice healthy colour!
Voila! serve with a bit of salad to keep up with your 5 a day.
They are great for packed lunch, even when cold!
