Caramelized Apple and Pork Sausage Rolls

A close-up, overhead shot of five golden-brown pork and apple pastry rolls piled onto a ribbed white ceramic plate next to a blue-rimmed baking pan, with one roll cut in half to show the cooked meat and apple filling inside for sausage rolls.

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Caramelized Apple and Pork Sausage Rolls

Butter-caramelized apple and onion bring depth and balance to sausage rolls made with rich pork mince fennel, thyme, and a touch of cayenne. Wrapped in golden puff pastry, these will disappear fast.

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

Total Time1 10

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Australian, English

Keyword: sausage rolls, steam oven sausage rolls

Servings: rolls

Calories: 266kcal

Ingredients

Caramelized apple and onions

2 Tbsp butter
1 onion large (about 6oz/180g), peeled and finely diced
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Granny Smith apple large (about 8oz/240g), peeled and diced into 1/4 inch/6mm pieces
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt

Sausage rolls

2 lb ground pork pork mince, not too lean, see notes
1 tsp garlic powder
3 stalks thyme leaves leaves stripped from stalk
1 tsp fennel seeds
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
4 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed but cold, 9x9 inches (23x23cm)

To finish

1 egg for egg wash
3 Tbsp sesame seeds or black sesame seeds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the caramelized apple and onion mixture. Heat butter over low-medium heat in a frypan. When melted, add the onions & sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions start to turn golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
2 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, 1 onion
Add the apple, cider vinegar and salt and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced and the apples and onions are soft and golden brown, about another 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the sausage roll mixture.
1 Granny Smith apple, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to Combi Steam, 350°F/180°C, 30% (low) steam. Line a baking tray with parchment or silicone paper and set aside.
Make the sausage rolls. Put the ground pork, garlic powder, thyme, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, cayenne and breadcrumbs into a large bowl. Tip in the apple and onion mixture, and mix with your hands or a spoon until everything is very well combined. Divide the mix into eight even portions.
2 lb ground pork, 1 tsp garlic powder, 3 stalks thyme leaves, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Place one puff pastry sheet on your countertop and cut it in half, so you have two rectangles. Take a portion of the filling mixture and spread it along one long edge of the puff pastry rectangle, like a very long sausage. Brush the other edge of the rectangle with egg wash, and carefully roll up the pastry sheet with the sausage filling, until the ends overlap and encase the filling. Place seam side down, and cut the roll evenly into 4 smaller sausage rolls. Place the sausage rolls on the baking tray, slightly apart.
4 sheets frozen puff pastry
Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet to make 32 sausage rolls in total.
Brush the tops of the sausage rolls with egg wash, and use a sharp knife to score a couple of slits into the top of each one, to allow the pastry to rise. Sprinkle the sausage rolls with sesame seeds.
1 egg, 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
Put the sausage rolls into the oven and cook until they are puffy and deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Notes

Apples. You need to use a cooking apple that won't break down into mush; Granny Smith are generally the most widely available but any other variety of firm cooking apple is fine too. When you cook the apples, do not be afraid to cook them until they're deeply brown and soft. It takes a while, but it's worth the toasty caramelized-apple flavor you'll get in the finished recipe.
Pork mince. Try to get a fatty pork mince for these, around 15% or even 20% fat. Too lean and your sausage roll filling can be a bit dry. If you can only get lean mince, consider adding a couple of tablespoons of melted butter to the mixture, to give it the right texture and mouthfeel.
Storage and serving. You can make the sausage rolls up to the point of assembling, and then freeze them to bake later. I recommend freezing the tray, uncovered, then moving the rolls into a large zip-lock bag for storage. They'll keep unbaked in the freezer for several weeks, ready to pull out and bake whenever you want them.

Nutrition