“Sausage rolls are the food that disappears quickest in our house, thanks to my pastry-fiend husband. I expect he will pass on his love for them to our son, so I’d better get the freezer stocked pronto! These sausage rolls are inspired by pork larb, the national dish of Laos that combines pork mince with fresh herbs, hot chillies and zingy lime. A flavour sensation!” Martha Collison, author of Pull Up A Chair
Makes 10
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, finely diced
2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (seeds and membranes removed if you want a milder flavour)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g (14oz) pork sausage meat
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Small handful of coriander, finely chopped
320g (11¼oz) sheet ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the diced red onion and lemongrass, then fry for 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the chilli and garlic, and cook, stirring often, for a further 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat, tip into a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cool, add the sausage meat to the bowl, along with the lime juice, fish sauce and coriander. Mash everything together using a fork or squeeze together using your hands until you have a consistent mixture.
Unroll the pastry into a rectangle measuring about 23 × 35cm (9 × 14in), and halve lengthways to create two long rectangles.
Divide the sausage meat mixture in half and roll on a floured surface into two long, thin sausage shapes. Make sure they are of an even thickness so the sausage rolls are all the same size.
Place one of the long sausage shapes on the first pastry strip. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg, then roll up the sausage roll tightly. Repeat with the second pastry strip and sausage shape, then slice each sausage roll into 5 smaller pieces.
Place the rolls, seam-side down, on the prepared baking tray, then brush the tops of the sausage rolls with the remaining beaten egg. Make several diagonal cuts on the top of the pastry and sprinkle with chilli flakes. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Eat warm, or cool completely and enjoy as an on-the-go snack. These will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.