It's Christmas time .. and there's no need to be afraid. Let's make sausage rolls and welcome people into our homes for treats and cheer!
A traditional British treat, sausage rolls are ubiquitous around the holidays. I always know it's the festive season when my mom starts rolling out the pastry and getting the whole thing happening. So, it's a "semi-home made" recipe, nothing from scratch, but absolutely delightful and worth the time it will take you.
Get a package of puff pastry from your grocer's freezer section. We like Pepperidge farms. Let it come to temp while you heat the oven and mix up the sausage. Grab a Jimmy Dean sausage chub and put in a bowl. Add a ton of black pepper, some sage (or poultry seasoning) and any other flavors you like. Consider garlic, chili, thyme, or whatever you fancy. Mix it all up and get ready to roll!
Roll out the pastry on a board, your goal being to stretch it to a longer shape than the square it typically comes in. Then cut the pastry into long strips. The only tricky part is getting the sausage into a thin log shape to fit into the pastry. Mom makes several strips of puff pastry, about 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Roll sausage mixture into a rope and place along the pastry. It helps to flour your hands at this point, so you can manipulate the sausage but not mangle it. Once the sausage is placed on the pastry, roll over the edges and crimp down with a fork. It looks kind of like a long white snake at this point. Brush with egg wash (just an egg beaten with a touch of water) and then cut into 2 - 3 inch pieces. Mom likes to score the top with a sharp knife to make them pretty. Bake in the 350 degree oven until puffed, golden and with oozy sausage goo coming out (about 20 minutes, but just keep your eye on them).
Now, dont' be a fool, LET THEM COOL before shoving in your pie hole. Eat as many as 12 at a sitting, no more. Best with spritzies to wash them down.
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