Mini Sausage Rolls with Golden Puff Pastry

Mini Sausage Rolls

These mini sausage rolls have puffed, deeply golden pastry around a substantial pork sausage center. Two sheets of puff pastry and 1 pound of sausage make about 30 short rolls, with exposed cut ends that show the filling.

Keep the six sausage logs narrow and even so the pork cooks through before the pastry gets too dark. Bake the pieces with space between them, then group them in a tray with two dipping sauces just before serving.

Ingredients for Mini Sausage Rolls

• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cool (about 17.3 oz or 490g total)
• 1 lb ground pork sausage or uncased pork sausage meat (450g)
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion (35g), not visibly wet
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten
• About 1/4 cup ketchup, for serving
• About 1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce, for serving

If the sausage is strongly seasoned, use less sage and pepper. Do not add salt automatically.

How to Bake Mini Sausage Rolls

1. Prepare the oven and pans: Fully preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Keep the thawed pastry cool until you are ready to shape it.
2. Mix the filling: Combine the sausage, onion, sage, and pepper just until evenly mixed. Divide into six equal portions.
3. Wrap six logs: Cut each pastry sheet lengthwise into three strips. Shape one sausage portion into a narrow, even line along a long edge of each strip. Lightly brush the opposite long edge with beaten egg, roll the pastry around the sausage, and press the seam firmly closed.
4. Cut, vent, and glaze: Cut each log crosswise into five pieces, for about 30 rolls. Place them seam-side down on the prepared sheets, leaving 1 to 2 inches between pieces. Make a shallow slit in each top without cutting through the roll, then brush the tops with beaten egg. Leave the filled cut ends exposed.
5. Bake until cooked through: Bake uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes, starting to check at 18 minutes. If the pans brown unevenly, exchange their rack positions about halfway through; do not flip the rolls. The pastry should be puffed and golden to deep golden-brown. Insert an instant-read thermometer through a cut end into the center of a thick roll: the pork filling must reach 160°F (70°C). If the pastry gets too dark before the filling is done, loosely cover the tops with foil and continue baking.
6. Rest and serve: Leave the rolls spaced apart on the pans for about 5 minutes so steam can escape. Arrange them in compact rows in a shallow, food-safe rectangular tray, turning several cut-side up. Add small cups of ketchup and barbecue sauce. The serving tray is not a baking pan.

How to Shape Even Rolls

Cutting each of the two pastry sheets into three strips gives you six wrappers; dividing the sausage first gives each one a similar amount of filling. Keep the filling narrow rather than piling it into thick centers. Pastry-sheet dimensions vary, so the finished pieces may differ slightly in length, but five pieces per log will give you about 30 rolls.

Use finely minced onion that is not visibly wet. A firm, egg-brushed seam and seam-side-down baking help keep each roll closed as the pastry puffs.

How to Tell When the Rolls Are Done

Browned pastry does not guarantee that the pork center is cooked. Check a thick roll through its exposed cut end, keeping the thermometer tip in the sausage rather than the pastry. Pastry thickness, filling diameter, and oven performance can shift the baking time, so use both the pastry color and the 160°F filling temperature.

Make-Ahead and Storage

To make the rolls ahead, freeze the assembled, unbaked pieces separately on a tray, then transfer them to a suitable container. Bake from frozen, allowing extra time and checking both the pastry and the filling; there is no fixed frozen baking time.

Promptly refrigerate leftover cooked rolls. Covered storage can soften the pastry, so let warm rolls release steam before packing them closely.

Serving the Rolls

Serve with ketchup and barbecue sauce, or replace the barbecue sauce with another preferred dark brown dip. For a second warm appetizer, pair the rolls with stuffed mushrooms with cream cheese.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per appetizer serving of 3 rolls, including a share of both sauces: 400 calories, 11g protein, 28g fat, and 27g carbohydrates. Approximate values per 100g of ingredients before baking: 350 calories, 9g protein, 24g fat, and 23g carbohydrates. Values will vary with pastry and sausage brands, sauce portions, and moisture lost during baking.