Try this Irish Sausage Rolls recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 3 puff pastry sheets
- 1 egg (beaten for brushing pastry)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried fennel
- Carbohydrate 13.2618089427574 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 4.23155398203904 g
- Fiber 0.762125462334336 g
- Protein 2.36350125140441 g
- Saturated Fat 1.05425498160804 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (42g)
- Sodium 114.530648225154 mg
- Sugar 12.4996834804231 g
- Trans Fat 0.312701509365929 g
- Calories 101 calories
Step-by-step
- Grind the spices, salt and pepper in a coffee grinder.
- Add the ground spices and minced garlic to the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add the ground pork to the seasoned breadcrumbs and combine using your fingers. Add half of the beaten egg and mix thoroughly until the meat mixture begins to stick together. Discard the excess egg.
- Using your hands roll the sausage, forming 4 cylindrical shapes about 3/4 inches thick and 10 inches long. Set meat aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Open a thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured surface. Cut into 3 strips about 3 inches wide and 10 inches long.
- Place a 3 inch piece of the pre-formed sausage meat on the pastry close to the edge. Roll the pastry around the meat, overlapping underneath by one inch.
- Cut the pastry roll, then roll it back to brush the lower layer with egg wash. Re-roll and seal the lower seam.
- Using a sharp knife, cut two diagonal 1/2 inch slits in the top surface of the roll. Repeat the procedure to form 18 sausage rolls.
- Lay the prepared sausage rolls on the baking tray in rows and one inch apart.
- Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.
- Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for a further 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when golden brown on top. Cool the sausage rolls on a wire rack.
- Serve hot or cold as desired.
The Spice Blend Architecture
The ingredient manifest omits how profoundly the aromatic profile relies on the initial milling of dried herbs. Grinding whole leaves of basil, marjoram, rosemary, and fennel seeds in a coffee grinder breaks down cellular walls that otherwise remain intact during baking, releasing volatile oils that thoroughly permeate the ground pork when mixed with breadcrumbs and half an egg. Without this mechanical pulverization, the resulting sausage interior tastes fragmented rather than cohesive, lacking the deep savory baseline defining traditional Irish savory pastries.
Mastering Pastry Mechanics
Commercial puff pastry sheets demand precise handling to achieve the signature flaky stratification that encases the seasoned meat filling during the twenty-minute bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Many home cooks ruin the texture by overworking the dough at room temperature, which melts the butter layers before the tray enters the oven and prevents proper steam expansion. Cutting each thawed sheet into three three-inch strips requires a sharp blade that cleanly slices through the lamination without compressing the delicate dough structure.
Baking and Sealing Protocols
Securing the overlapping one-inch seam with a measured brush of beaten egg wash prevents the pastry cylinders from unravelling while expanding in the heat. Slashing two diagonal half-inch vents into the top surface allows trapped steam to escape safely, ensuring the exterior achieves an even golden brown before dropping the oven temperature to 350 degrees for the final five minutes of cooking.
