Chorizo Sausage Rolls

It’s hard to get any more retro than Sausage Rolls.  Didn’t everyone grow up eating these as appetizers?  That delicious taste of your favorite sausage encased in a crispy, golden package of puff pastry, the perfect grab and go meal or snack, they make great bite size party food too and can be served hot or cold.  We updated this classic recipe to Chorizo Sausage Rolls by including that perfect zing of spice.

The British have laid claim to the infamous Sausage Roll and are readily available at bakeries and other retail establishments.  But many North American families have their own tasty version.   For the past several years my family gets together with neighbors on Christmas Eve and everyone brings “heavy” hors d’oeuvres to eat instead of a formal dinner.  My friend always includes the Sausage Rolls from her youth.  Even with all of the modern, healthier appetizer recipes, it just wouldn’t seem the same without the Sausage Roll.

With so few ingredients it’s important to use top quality sausage meat.  Homemade sausage is incredibly easy, but for some reason people seem intimidated by it or just don’t think to make their own.  There are many independent butcher or meat shops that make their own flavorful version as well.  We often stop at a great meat purveyor off of Interstate 75 on our way down to Florida, they have all kinds of flavors and ship nationwide.

You can also buy bulk sausage at the grocery store and add fresh herbs and freshly ground pepper for extra flavor.  Try using 2 pounds bulk sausage meat and add 1 T each chopped fresh sage and thyme, and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

We provide a recipe for making a chorizo sausage that is more highly seasoned than most grocery store brands and is the signature to this Sausage Roll recipe.  There is a Mexican and a Spanish chorizo version, each type has a very different taste and is used for separate reasons.  We are making a Mexican Chorizo Sausage.  You can also make this sausage and just slice it up, fry and serve with eggs in the morning.  Talk about a unique, flavorful breakfast.  If using as breakfast sausage, shape into patties, freeze on parchment lined baking sheet, then store in an air tight container or resealable plastic bag.  For this recipe you will be rolling the chorizo sausage into long 20″ rolls.

The sausage can be made a few days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.  Make sure the ground pork you buy is not too lean and feel free to change up the spices to accommodate your own tastes.  The small addition of brown sugar balances out all of the spices nicely.

I was a little hesitant that the raw sausage wouldn’t cook through since it is wrapped in the puff pastry, but 20 minutes is plenty of time to cook the chorizo sausage and make the rolls golden brown as long as you keep the rolled sausage to no more than 1 inch thick.

These chorizo sausage rolls are great for freezing so that you will have them on hand in a moments notice.  You can either make the recipe up until the egg wash step (but before you add the egg wash) and then freeze or you can complete the recipe all the way through baking and then freeze at that point.  If freezing before baking then stop just before the egg wash step, wrap chorizo sausage rolls in freezer paper, foil or plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months.  When ready to bake, pull directly from the freezer (no need to defrost), follow the recipe directions (don’t forget the egg wash, that helps make the puff pastry a beautiful golden color) and add 10 minutes to the cooking time.  If you really want an Out The Door In Minutes snack then complete the recipe all the way through cooking.  Once the chorizo sausage rolls are completely cool, freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze for a couple of hours.  Once the chorizo sausage rolls are frozen, place in a resealable plastic bag, mark with freeze date, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Pull individual chorizo sausage rolls from the freezer bag and microwave for a minute or bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through.

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Chorizo Sausage Rolls

Savor your favorite sausage encased in a crispy, golden package of puff pastry, the perfect grab and go meal or snack, they make great bite size party food too and can be served hot or cold.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 18 Servings

Ingredients

Chorizo Sausage

• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 Whole Onion Spanish, Sweet or Yellow finely diced
• 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 3 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
• 2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Paprika Smoked paprika can be substituted
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Whole Chipotle Pepper Minced
• 2 Teaspoons Dark Brown Sugar Light Brown Sugar can be substituted
• 2 Pounds Ground Pork preferably ground pork shoulder, not too lean

Sausage Rolls

• 2 Sheets Puff Pastry Thawed
• 1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard Optional
• 1 Whole Egg beaten and mixed with 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

Make Chorizo Sausage

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute or two  Add vinegar and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
   

2. Use a stick immersion blender or pour mixture into a traditional blender, add 1/4 cup cold water and blend until smooth, cool.
   

3. Once the onion mixture has cooled, add the ground pork, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, then mix.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days to allow the flavors to blend.
   

Make the Sausage Rolls

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
   

2. Place thawed pastry on lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthwise (see Recipe Notes for puff pastry thawing tips), roll puff pastry out into an 8" X 20" long rectangle.
   

3. Divide sausage meat in fourths, then roll each mound into a 1" diameter sausage log, about 20" long.
   

4. Beat egg and add 1 teaspoon water to make egg wash.  Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each pastry rectangle with the egg wash.  Lay a sausage roll near one long edge of the pastry and roll up.  Place sausage rolls, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet,(you can wrap and freeze at this point) brush the rolls with the egg wash.
   

5. Cut sausage rolls into desired sizes.  I recommend 3"-4" lengths for a heartier snack or small meal, or cut the more traditional 1" length for bite size pieces.  With a sharp knife lightly slash the tops of the rolls (not into the sausage, just a slight line penetrating the puff pastry to allow steam to escape when cooking), 6 slashes for the longer pieces and 2 slashes for the 1" bites.
   

   

6. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the pastry is a beautiful golden color.  Serve hot or at room temperature.
   

Recipe Notes

Working with Puff Pastry:  Puff Pastry can be stored in the freezer in the original packaging for up to 6 months.  To thaw, remove the sheets of puff pastry from their box and paper sleeves, cover with plastic wrap, and thaw on counter top for 30 minutes.  If your kitchen is hot or you leave the pastry out longer than 30 minutes then the puff pastry will be harder to work with.  If the pastry becomes sticky or is no longer cool to the touch, return to the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap until chilled.  Remember that you want the puff pastry to be easy to manipulate but have a slight chill to it.  Otherwise the pastry becomes sticky and hard to work with, it also will not rise properly when baked.  Another option is to thaw in the refrigerator using the same method as above, the pastry should be ready in about 4 hours.

These chorizo sausage rolls are great for freezing so that you will have them on hand in a moments notice.  You can either make the recipe up until the egg wash step (but before you add the egg wash) and then freeze or you can complete the recipe all the way through baking and then freeze at that point.  If freezing before baking then stop just before the egg wash step, wrap chorizo sausage rolls in freezer paper, foil or plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months.  When ready to bake, pull directly from the freezer (no need to defrost), follow the recipe directions (don't forget the egg wash, that helps make the puff pastry a beautiful golden color) and add 10 minutes to the cooking time.  If you really want an Out The Door In Minutes snack then complete the recipe all the way through cooking.  Once the chorizo sausage rolls are completely cool, freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze for a couple of hours.  Once the chorizo sausage rolls are frozen, place in a resealable plastic bag, mark with freeze date, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Pull individual chorizo sausage rolls from the freezer bag and microwave for a minute or bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through.

 

 

 

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