Sausage Roll

I found the recipe for this sausage bake in a cookbook I’d had for a while but hadn’t visited in ages, The $7 a Meal Quick & Easy Cookbook. This cookbook is great for meals that don’t cost a lot per serving, and it has a good variety of dishes between breads, snacks, and all major meals.

Like pretty much every recipe I write about, this one doesn’t take much effort to put together, uses just a few ingredients, and is very tasty. Simple is usually the best way to go.

Make this to feel a little fancy for breakfast, brunch, or dinner (you could make this for lunch too, I guess, or for any meal!).

Let’s get into it.

Sausage Roll

Recipe credit to The $7 a Meal Quick & Easy Cookbook, page 22.

Time commitment:

Prep - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 20-30 minutes

Cooling time - 5-10 minutes

Ready in as little as 40 minutes!

Equipment list:

• Baking sheet

• Parchment paper or wax paper

• Cast iron skillet or other frying pan

• Cheese grater if using block cheese

• Spatula (that’s safe for your pan and won’t scratch it!)

• Small bowl

• Rolling pin (optional but it helps to have one, otherwise use your hands)

• Oven

• Stovetop

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound sausage, mild or medium (I tried this with maple and it was alright)

• 1 puff pastry sheet (sometimes hard to find and gets pricey; Pepperidge Farm is usually the brand you’ll find)

  • You need to plan ahead for making this! Puff pastry must thaw at room temperature for up to an hour OR let it thaw overnight, pulling it from the freezer to the fridge the night before you’re going to make this.

• 2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese (use pre-shredded or get a block of cheese and grate your own, it will melt all the same in this recipe)

• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (the “shaky cheese” parmesan works just fine, no need to get fancy with freshly grating your own, it’s way more expensive and does the same thing)

• Pinch of salt (recipe calls for sea salt but you can use table or kosher too)

• Cooking spray or oil (optional if you’re using parchment paper)

Cooking steps:

1. Gather all your equipment and ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400F. Preheat your skillet to medium heat, then cook the 3/4 pound of sausage until it’s not longer pink and is broken up into pieces.

2. While the sausage cooks, pull a sheet of puff pastry out and let it sit on your clean countertop or larger cutting board.

   • TIP: If you’re grating your own cheese, do it while the sausage cooks.

   • TIP: Drain the fat from the sausage! You don’t want it to seep into your puff pastry - it won’t roll up.

3. Unfold the puff pastry sheet and put it on parchment or wax paper.

   • TIP: The pastry will stick to the parchment paper, so lightly spray it with cooking oil before you put it down on the paper.

4. At this point the sausage should be done, so again, drain the fat from it and let it sit aside to cool.

5. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese.

6. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the puff pastry the cheese mixture. Gently press the cheese down into the puff pastry.

   • TIP: Don’t push too hard - your puff pastry will stick to your parchment or wax paper the harder you push and will be harder to roll up in the next steps.

7. Carefully roll out the pastry sheet to a large rectangle shape (recipe says 12x18” in size but who can measure that while they’re cooking? I definitely don’t). Go with your gut, but don’t go too thin or too thick.

   • TIP: No rolling pin? Just use your hands to flatten the pastry out!

8. Next, spread the cooled sausage over the cheesy pastry rectangle, leaving a little space around the top, bottom, and sides. Make sure you do your best to cover the rectangle evenly.

9. Add a pinch of salt over the top of the sausage at this point. It’s not necessary but gives a small pop of flavor.

10. Now carefully roll up the pastry from left to right. Keep your hands close to each end to keep the sausage from falling out. When fully rolled up, pinch the edges together to create a seal on both sides.

    • TIP: You may not be able to roll it up perfectly, and that’s okay. You just want it to be rolled up tight enough that nothing is falling out.

11. Place on a parchment-lined or oiled baking sheet and cook at 400F for 12 to 18 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is golden brown.

12. Serve warm in slices by itself or with other breakfast foods like bacon, eggs, or toast.