Sausage rolls with brussels sprouts and cranberries

All the flavours of Christmas encased in the lightest, fluffiest puff pastry! These sausage rolls are such a delight to make - and eat.

I invariably ALWAYS end up with a soggy bottom on my pastry (sorry Mary) but I actually quite like that slightly stodgier consistency on the base - it makes for a slightly tastier roll I think. If you prefer a crispier base, you could flip them over and bake for a further five minutes. Either way - the flavours here will not disappoint.

These rolls are packed with cranberries, sprouts and fennel seeds and are so good dunked into a classic mayo or sweet chilli dipping sauce. Make them for your next do and I can say with complete confidence that they'll be the first thing to go...

I made my own puff pastry here but it’ll work well with shop bought pastry too. If you’ve got the time to spare though - go for it! There are tons of tutorials online and it’s pretty easy to bring it all together. Just give it lots of time to rest in the fridge between attacks with the rolling pin!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 onion, diced

• 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp fennel seeds

• 250g cranberries, sliced

• 250g brussels sprouts, roughly chopped

• Drizzle of white wine vinegar 

• Salt and pepper

• 900g good quality sausage meat

• 500g puff pastry (home made is better!) 

• 1 egg, beaten

• Heaped tbsp poppy seeds
  
  METHOD:

  1) Heat the oven to 180C and grease/line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2) Add a large knob of butter to a pan and stir fry the onion until nice and jammy. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, sprouts and cranberries. Add a splash of white wine vinegar, season well and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes, moving everything around continuously. Once cook - allow to cool in the pan

  3) Add the sausage meat to a large bowl, then tip in the onion and sprouts mix, season and combine nicely

  4) Roll out your chilled puff pastry into a nice long rectangle

  5) Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the pastry along the line furthest away from you (Be sure to leave space at the edge closest to you).

  6) Flip the pastry over the sausage mix and use your fingers to press it down and seal slightly along the far edge. Shape it with your hands to get a nice solid sausage roll shape.

  7) Score the sausage into portions and use a sharp knife to cut into sections. Place the rolls on the baking parchment and egg wash each one. Sprinkle over some poppy seeds and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.