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Traditional English snack gets a makeover! Savory sausage plus sweet dates, fresh rosemary, and spices in flaky pastry. My Sausage Rolls with Date and Rosemary will be the star of your next party!
A Delicious Twist on a Classic English Snack
If you’ve spent any time in the UK, chances are good that you’ve had a chance to enjoy some sausage rolls, a traditional English snack.
Just in case you haven’t had the pleasure, sausage rolls are basically tubes of baked puff pastry with a yummy sausage filling. The filling should be flavorful, savory, and not too greasy. Sausage rolls that are too greasy can result in the dreaded “soggy bottom”.
These simple but satisfying handheld snacks are pretty darned good as is. However, I love experimenting with ways to make good things even better. That’s exactly what’s going on in my recipe for Sausage Rolls with Date and Rosemary.
What You Need to Make Sausage Rolls with Date and Rosemary
Sweet, chewy dates, fragrant fresh rosemary, and a touch of extra spice make this recipe an even better version of a classic English snack. And that’s not just me talking!
I made a double recipe for the Easter potluck at my church. Not only were they one of the first things to disappear from the table, I also got several requests for the recipe! Now I’m sharing it with you, too.
Let’s get to it and start talking about ingredients.
Choosing the Right Sausage
- Sausage – Use good-quality, mild or sweet Italian bulk sausage. My favorite brand for this is Johnsonville. Whatever brand you use, make sure it is 80/20 sausage. That means it contains no more than 20% fat. Using a sausage with too much fat will give you a roll that’s greasy and might have a “soggy bottom”. Nobody wants that!
Why Medjool Dates Work Best
- Medjool Dates – Medjools are best for this recipe. They’re large and sweet, soft but chewy. Other varieties are generally smaller, so if you do decide to use another type, then double the number of dates.
- Rosemary – Fresh rosemary has a lovely fragrance and a resiny, slightly bitter taste that complements the sweetness of the dates and lifts the savory flavor of the sausage.
- Shallots – I like the mild flavor of shallots for this recipe, but you could sub yellow or white onions.
- Optional: Ground red pepper flakes – A few grinds can give the filling a wonderful touch of heat. However, if you’re feeding kids or people who don’t like spice, skip that part.
- Garlic powder –
- Kosher salt – Most bulk sausage already includes some salt, so you don’t need to add much. But I think a little extra enhances the flavor.
- Fresh ground pepper
Tips for Working with Puff Pastry
- Puff pastry – You can find frozen puff pastry sheets in any supermarket. My favorite brand is Pepperidge Farms. Take the pastry out of the freezer to thaw for at least 40 but no more than 60 minutes before handling. Handle too soon, and the pastry sheets will break. Leave it out too long, and the pastry will turn gummy during baking.
- Egg yolk – you’ll whisk the egg yolk with water to create an egg wash. This will serve as a kind of “glue” to seal the pastry rolls. It will also be painted on the outside to give it a beautiful, appetizing golden color when baked.
How to Prepare Sausage Rolls with Date and Rosemary
One of the best things about sausage rolls, besides the taste, is how easy they are to make!
For the filling, just mix the dates, rosemary, shallots, and spices into the sausage. My preference is to mix the ingredients with my hands, to make sure they’re evenly distributed. However, a wooden spoon or spatula could also work.
The next step is preparing the pastry. (Be sure to read my notes above about thawing the puff pastry before you handle it!)
You’ll use one sheet of pastry, cut in half, and then rolled with rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to about 5 x 12 inches. The filling will be halved, shaped into approximately 12-inch logs, then placed on a pastry sheet. You’ll repeat the process with the remaining pastry sheet and sausage.
Next, you’ll whisk the egg yolk with a little water to create a wash. Paint a stripe of egg wash along one long edge of the pastry. Roll the pastry over the sausage, toward the egg-washed edge, and press gently to seal.
Place the sausage rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush the egg wash over the top and sides of the roll. This will give it a beautiful golden color after baking.
When you’re finished, cover the baking pan with plastic wrap or a tea towel and refrigerate it for about an hour.
Baking, Serving, and Freezing Your Sausage Rolls
Be sure to preheat your oven before you take the sausage rolls out of the fridge. A nice, hot oven is necessary to achieve a flaky, golden-brown pastry.
The reason we refrigerated the rolls is to make cutting easier. I cut my rolls into two-inch pieces; it’s a great size for an appetizer. You could also go a bit smaller, say an inch and a half, if you wanted.
The puff pastry will rise, so leave a little room between the pieces. Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through baking. This will make sure that all the rolls are evenly baked and browned, not burned.
Remove from the oven. The sausage filling can be a little hot, so it’s a good idea to let it cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
Sausage rolls are terrific as make-ahead treats that be stored in the freezer and baked as needed.
If you’re going to freeze, DO NOT brush on the egg wash until just before baking. (Frozen egg wash is safe to eat, but it could make the pastry gummy during baking.)
Instead, cut the pieces into the desired size, then place the unbaked sausage rolls onto a pan and place in the freezer for two hours, until completely frozen. Store the frozen rolls in a plastic freezer bag for up to three months.
Brush the egg wash onto each piece just before baking. Frozen sausage rolls will require more time to bake, so add two to four minutes to the bake time. If rolls begin to get too brown, place a piece of foil loosely over the top.
Print
Sausage Rolls with Date and Rosemary
- Yield: Makes about 12 appetized-sized sausage rolls 1x
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough, left out of freezer to thaw for about 40-60 minutes
- 1lb 80/20 sweet bulk Italian sausage
- 4 large Medjool dates, diced very small
- 3 T chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 T minced shallots
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
- Dash of ground red pepper flakes – optional
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water
- Flour for rolling dough
Instructions
- Remove puff pastry from freezer. Allow to thaw on counter for 40 minutes to one hour prior to handling. Place sausage into medium sized bowl. Add dates, rosemary, shallots, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and pepper. Mix well to evenly distribute ingredients.
- On a lightly flour surface, unfold pastry sheet and cut in half lengthwise. (Two pieces, about 4.75 x 9.5 inches). Use a rolling pin to roll each sheet to about 5 x 12 inches.
- Take half the prepared sausage and form into 12-inch log. Place lengthwise on top of prepared pastry sheet. Repeat with remaining sausage and pastry sheet.
- Whisk together egg and water to make an egg wash. Paint a 1-inch wide stripe of the egg wash along one long edge of the each pastry sheet. Roll the sausage tightly up in the pastry, pressing the egg washed edge down gently to seal.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sausage rolls on baking sheet. Paint egg wash over all visible sides of sausage rolls. Refrigerate for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pan from refrigerator. Slice the rolls crossways into pieces about 2-inches long. Place pieces on baking sheet with space between.
- Bake sausage rolls in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
