Makes 40
Sausage Rolls are very easy to make when pre-prepared bought pastry is used, but this homemade version, that makes use of sour cream flaky pastry and a spicy sausage meat filling, will yield noticeably superior results. This is traditional South African fare at its best.
Occasion

You will need

500 g lean minced beef
250g pork sausage meat
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman’s Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1 x 25 g Ina Paarman’s Liquid Beef Stock
2 t (10 ml) balsamic vinegar
1 t (5 ml) powdered gelatine

Ina’s Sour Cream Pastry
or store bought all butter puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Ina’s Tip

The gelatine powder added to the mince mixture keeps it moist and holds the meat together.

Method

Meat filling

Decant beef mince and pork to a mixing bowl, add Garlic Pepper Seasoning, Liquid Stock squeezed from the pack, balsamic vinegar, and dry gelatine powder. Mix everything lightly with a knife to blend together. Divide the mixture into 4. Roll each quarter into a ball and then roll each into a long sausage shape. Leave in the fridge to firm.
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 220°C.
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3 mm, keeping it in a neat rectangular shape. Place a roll of minced meat on the dough, then brush a wide strip of beaten egg directly under and next to the meat.
Grip the top end of the pastry and fold it over the sausage. Press down firmly on the dampened portion to seal the edges and then seal well with the prongs of a fork and cut along the edge through the bottom layer.
Brush the top of this long roll with a little beaten egg (to provide a glaze) and then cut it up into + – 4 cm long rolls. Decorate them by making two diagonal slashes across each sausage roll. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until puffy and nicely browned.

Variations

For the filling, you can use raw homemade or bought sausages such as beef, pork or boerewors. You must skin the sausage before use.
Or slice Frankfurters lengthways, spread with mild mustard and sandwich a strip of cheese into the sausage. Alternatively you can roll a slice of lean streaky bacon over the sausage meat of your choice.
You could also add some interesting flavours by rolling pork sausages in chopped sage, or beef sausages in chopped thyme