Lattice sausage rolls

A slightly fancier version of my go-to sausage rolls recipe.

It has been some time since I last posted a recipe, but things have been somewhat challenging over these past few months, not least a key medical operation in the house and then more recently an unexpected A&E visit. But thankfully all is well on those fronts, and it has been great to dive back into what I love doing: cooking!

My sausage rolls recipe (here) is probably one of the dishes I make more than any other, as I am often asked to make a batch for parties and general get-togethers.

I like the simplicity of the sausage rolls above, but I recently fancied elevating the finish a little and going for a full lattice affair. I also like to make these larger than the sausage rolls in my recipe that is linked above. The seeds are entirely optional: sometimes I love a scattering of them on top either before adding the lattice or over the lattice, but at other times I don’t use any. The photos in this post are of different batches so you can see the difference.

Now for speed you can simply shape these sausage rolls as in my main recipe linked above, and then roll a special lattice cutter over the reserved rolled out pastry. You then drape this large lattice over the glazed rolled-up sausage “logs”, press lightly in place and finally cut into individual sausage rolls. They will look good, especially if you chill the sausage roll logs to firm up before cutting.

However, I prefer to cut the pastry and then assemble and shape these sausage rolls individually for what I think is an even cleaner finish. The recipe below has the stages for doing these individually.

Recipe: lattice sausage rolls – makes about 14

• about 500g good quality puff pastry (ideally the all-butter pastry)

Filling:

• 350g good quality sausagemeat (less than my usual recipe)
• 80g mature Cheddar cheese, grated (or use a hard cheese of choice)
• 1 large onion, chopped very finely or blitzed in a food processor
• 1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 2 tablespoons chutney or pickle of choice, lightly crushed
• 1-2 heaped teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
• a little fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To finish:

• either of 2-3 tablespoons puréed apple, mustard of choice or onion chutney: optional, but adds an extra element of deliciousness 
• 1 egg, beaten
• a few poppy seeds or fennel seeds, optional

(1) Mix up the ingredients for the filling and chill until needed.

(2) Roll out the pastry thinly to just over about 30cm by 60cm and trim to give a neat rectangle.
NB: you want to roll the pastry thinly as you will effectively have 2 layers of pastry once the lattice is added, and you don’t want to be wrestling with thick pastry!

(3) Cut off a strip of pastry about 18cm by 30cm and set aside in the fridge: this will be for the lattice.

(4) Cut the remaining pastry into identical rectangles: around 6cm by 15cm. I cut the pastry lengthways into two long strips and then cut each strip into 7 to give 14 rectangles overall. However, you can make the rectangles less wide or more wide depending on how many sausage rolls you want to make.

(5) Take about a tablespoon of the filling and roll into a rough cylinder using lightly wet hands to prevent the filling sticking to your hands.
NB: to test you have the right amount of filling to enable it to be encased properly, do a tester by lightly rolling the pastry around it to check it goes all the way round: although you can lightly stretch the rectangle to make it go all the way round!

(6) Once you have judged the right amount of filling, place a little apple purée, mustard or chutney near the centre of each pastry rectangle, pop the filling on top and then roll up, pinching to seal and placing the seal underneath: see photo below.
NB: if you have any filling left you can freeze it for a later batch or cook them on the side as sausage balls to devour!

(7) Brush the top lightly with beaten egg and place with the seal underneath onto baking trays. You can flatten off and neaten the ends of any filling that is poking out using a palette knife.

(8) Take the reserved chilled pastry and roll it out a bit thinner and larger, so it is just over 21cm by 30cm. Trim to give a neat rectangle and then cut into thin strips that are each about 3cm wide and 15cm long.

(9) Take one of the strips and make alternating cuts with a sharp knife, cutting right through: as in the first photo below.

(10) Gently stretch it out widthways a little to give visible holes, as in the second photo above. It really doesn’t matter if it tears a bit around the short edge.

(11) Place this over one of the egg-washed unbaked sausage rolls, stretching a little to lengthen it so that it goes right around the sausage rolls with a bit extra for tucking underneath. You can also stretch apart the holes a little further if needed in order come to the edges – it will move easily on the egg-wash, so you can get a tidy finish.

(12) Brush the tops with more of the beaten egg and sprinkle over some poppy seeds or fennel seeds, if using.

(13) Bake at 200°C(fan) for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 180°C (fan) for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden-brown.