Day 15: Homemade Sausage Rolls

The good, old sausage roll. One of Australia's favourite. According to Wikipedia the sausage roll originated from the UK, but I would think otherwise. I'm sure it's an aussie invention, so i'm claiming it! I've always loved this pockets of calories, they were my kiddie party favourite. I decided to try to make my own a couple months ago when I went for a trip to the mountains and ate at a little cafe in Katoomba which was selling home-made sausage rolls. Best thing i've tasted in a long time- beats the frozen kind. 
I found this recipe on Julie Goodwin's website- one of Australia's Masterchef winners and as a typical Aussie mum, I assumed she'd know best.


http://today.ninemsn.com.au/foodandwine/1030764/homemade-sausage-rolls



Ingredients: 
Makes 12 large sausage rolls
- 1kg good quality sausage mince (buy at the butcher)
- 500g mince beef
-  2 brown onions (grated)
- 2 Carrots (grated) 
- 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (or ketchup)
- 1/4 cup of french mustard
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 6 sheets of frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg (beaten)


How to Make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. This part is really important so your rolls don't become soggy. 
2. In a bowl, place all ingredients except for the pastry and egg. Using your hands, work the mixture very well until all combined. Feel's pretty nasty, but it gets the job done.
3. Lay the pastry out on a work surface and cut each sheet in half. Work with the pastry still a little bit firm from the freezer as it is easier to handle. I'm pretty sure my pastry was a little bit old, which is why it didn't puff up as much as I thought it would.
4. Start with one pastry sheet on your chopping board/work surface. Cut the sheet in half using a sharp knife. Pick up about a handful of meat and lay it in a line in the middle of your half piece of pastry. Fold the two sides over the sausage mixture and gently press to join. I put a few scratches on the pastry joint to make sure it holds together in the oven
5.Turn the rolls over and brush with the egg combined with 1 tablespoon water on both sides.
6. Put your sausage roll on an oven tray. I put the first batch on a baking tray, but i found that this made the bottom quite soggy with oil, so the last batch I put it on a rack with a tray underneath to catch the oil- they cooked much better this way!
7. Sausage rolls should be in the oven for 20-25minutes and should be golden brown and crunchy. Avoid opening and closing the oven to check them, otherwise it will take even longer!

The turned out super tasty. Loved the curry kind of taste they had to them. Ill be definitely trying these again sometime, they would be great for a party.