Italian Sausage Rolls Are Tasty Little Bundles, Perfect for Parties – InForum

FARGO — I love adding new recipes to my Christmas repertoire each season, often inspired by my family’s ethnic heritage. I’ve been watching “The Great British Baking Show” this month, and sausage rolls are a repeated favorite from season to season. Looking for a new appetizer to add to my holiday dishes, I decided to put my own twist on this popular British specialty with these delicious Italian sausage rolls, in honor of my husband’s Sicilian heritage and my son.

These tasty little packets are perfect for holiday get-togethers, game parties, picnics, and any occasion where you need a quick and easy appetizer. This is a simple recipe using store-bought puff pastry for the shell and a filling of ground Italian sausage, onion, eggs, Parmesan and seasoning. You can use mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage for this recipe, or just seasoned pork sausage if you prefer. The sausage needs to be ground, but if you only find it in links, you can simply remove the meat from its casing.

When working with puff pastry, it’s important to keep it cold as much as possible so that the heat of the oven can create those wonderfully crisp, buttery layers. This recipe is detailed step by step to ensure this happens, so don’t be intimidated if you’re new to puff pastry. You can find puff pastry in the freezer section of most grocery stores, usually with two sheets per package. This recipe is designed to use both sheets of dough to make 32 mini sausage rolls, but you can halve the ingredients and use just one sheet, if you wish.

Once the sausage rolls are formed and cut into pieces, I refrigerate them again for at least 15 minutes before cooking, and they can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen for several months. You can also freeze the rolls after baking, so you only need to thaw and reheat before serving. I brush the top and sides of each roll with egg wash before baking to give them a shiny, golden brown finish.

The sausage rolls cook at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and the filling is fully cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees. They can be served immediately or refrigerated for several days, and they can be enjoyed hot, cold, or at room temperature. For a touch of Christmas color, I serve them with warm marinara sauce and basil pesto on the side for dipping.

These Italian sausage rolls are the perfect party appetizer. Easy to make, you can prepare them well in advance and they will please everyone. I tried this recipe for the first time last week, and Tony promptly inhaled over a dozen (!) sausage rolls and then promptly fell asleep. While I don’t recommend this level of enthusiasm to everyone, I happily accepted his warm support. Merry Christmas!

Makes 32 mini rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 pounds mild or hot Italian sausage, ground or removed from the casing
• 3 eggs, divided
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• All-purpose flour, for rolling out dough and shaping sausage stuffing

Instructions:
Take the frozen puff pastry out of its packaging and remove the packaging. Place the puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper or baking sheet to thaw until easy to unfold, about 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onions, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the onions cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, add the Italian sausage, sautéed onions, eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until the ingredients are well combined. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.

To prepare the puff pastry: Lightly dust your work surface with flour and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Unfold one of the dough sheets and use a rolling pin to gently roll it until it is approximately 10 inches wide and 12 inches long. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the rectangle in half from top to bottom. Cut each piece in half again, but from one side to the other this time. Place the 4 rectangles of dough on one of the baking sheets lined with parchment paper then transfer to the refrigerator. Repeat with the second sheet of dough. Chill the dough pieces for at least 15 minutes before adding the filling.

In a small bowl, beat remaining egg until runny; Cancel.

Remove the sausage mixture from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 equal portions. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and moisten your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking to them. Roll out each portion until it is the exact length of each dough rectangle. Place the rolled sausage on the bottom third of the rectangle, leaving a one-inch border for rolling.

Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash, above and below the sausage. Starting at the bottom edge, wrap the dough around the sausage and pinch to secure the seam, then gently smooth the seam.

Place the sausage rolls on the baking sheet, seam side down. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours (if more than an hour, cover the pan with plastic wrap).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and cut each log in half, then in half again for mini rolls. Brush the top and sides with egg wash and add toppings like sesame seeds, herbs or flaky sea salt, as desired.

Bake in the center of the oven until the dough is crisp and golden and the sausage is cooked through (at least 165 degrees), about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately with dipping sauces like marinara and basil pesto.

To store:
Sausage rolls can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. They can be served hot, cold or at room temperature. You can freeze them cooked or uncooked for several months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and let them come to room temperature before baking or reheating them to 400 degrees. When freezing unbaked rolls, wait to apply the egg wash until just before baking.