Sausagemeat party ring

This is basically a ring version of my go-to sausage rolls recipe.

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This is a fun take on sausage rolls, giving a delicious centrepiece for a party or for any get-together. It is also one of my staples for both Christmas and New Year gatherings: and the great news is it can be made in advance and frozen once baked and cooled.

Although this simple shaping can be adapted to make it more wreathy, it is certainly tastier and far less expensive to make than the supermarket sausage roll wreaths and garlands that do the rounds around this time of the year.

Often when I serve this, I like to pop a pot of dip in the centre for tearing, sharing and dipping, but at other times I simply pile a green salad in there. For a really simple dip, you can mix mayo with sweet chilli sauce and lime juice.

The ingredients for this party ring are the same as for my main sausage rolls (recipe here), with goodies such as chutney, cheese, onions and herbs mixed in with the sausagemeat:

Although the ingredients are the same as for my sausage rolls, it is merely the shaping that is different here. And a decent bought puff pastry is good to use as it is the filling that is the star!

For the shaping and baking of this ring:

(1) Roll out the pastry thinly to one long narrow strip. I tend to go for about 15cm wide and 70-80cm long, but a long narrow strip is what you want.

(2) Brush mustard or a chutney of your choice right down the centre.

(3) Pop the sausagement filling on top of the mustard or chutney, going right along the length of the pastry. You don’t need to make it look neat or smooth at this stage.
NB: you can simply use good quality sausagemeat or for something a bit more special, try my recipe here)

(4) Bring the pastry up around the sausagemeat to enclose it and pinch together to seal. Turn the roll over so the pinched seal is underneath and hidden. You can lightly apply pressure up and down the length, gently rolling it on the work top, to give a smooth and even tube of filled pastry if you feel it needs it.

(5) Place as much of the roll as you can on a large baking tray lined with parchment and curl round to form a ring: it’s fine to have some of the ring on the tray and the rest on the work surface because as you curl it round, the part of the roll that was off the tray will find its space on the tray.

(6) Seal the two ends by pinching them together. You can pop a few pastry decorations on their ring, especially where the edges are sealed, if you wish – just stick them down with beaten egg.

(7) Brush all over ring with beaten egg and sprinkle over any seeds of choice: poppy seeds, onion seeds or sesame seeds are great here.

(8) Make deep cuts using a sharp knife every inch or so around, going through the pastry and about half-way into the filling. If the knife isn’t cutting easily, chill the ring for 30 minutes or so.

(9) Bake at 190°C for 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown: there will be juice bubbling through the gaps and on the baking tray, but that is quite normal.