Mummy Sausage Rolls
Andi Healey
Web Manager
They're wrapped, they're watching, and they're gone in about four minutes flat.
Meet our Mummy Sausage Rolls: herby pork sausage meat swaddled in ragged strips of golden puff pastry, with a pair of mustard eyes peering out from the bandages. They look spooky, they taste properly savoury, and they're far easier to make than they appear. No pastry skills required, just a sharp knife, a steady hand and a willingness to be slightly untidy. In fact, the messier the bandages, the better the mummy.
Serve them warm at your Halloween party, pack them into lunchboxes, or hide them from the family until everyone else has gone to bed. We won't tell.
Ingredients
- 500 grams good-quality pork sausage meat
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 1 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard (for the filling)
- 0.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 320 grams ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry sheet, chilled
- 1 medium egg, beaten, for glazing
- 1 tablespoons English mustard (for the eyes)
- 1 teaspoons black sesame seeds (for the pupils)
- 1 tablespoons plain flour, for dusting
Method
- Shape and chill: Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions (about 40g each). Roll each into a neat, even log roughly 8cm long and 2cm thick. Place on a plate and chill for 20 minutes so they hold their shape while you wrap them.
- Heat the oven and prepare the tray: Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6). Line a large baking tray with baking parchment or a reusable non-stick liner.
- Cut the bandages: Unroll the puff pastry and lightly dust the work surface with flour. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the pastry lengthways into long strips about 1cm wide. Keep them slightly uneven for a more authentic, ragged bandage look.
- Wrap the mummies: Brush each sausage log lightly with beaten egg so the pastry sticks. Starting at one end, wind a strip around the sausage, overlapping and criss-crossing as you go. Leave a small gap about a third of the way along from one end for the face. Press the ends of the strips gently to seal and tuck any loose ends underneath.
- Glaze and bake: Arrange the rolls on the tray, seam side down, spaced about 3cm apart. Brush all over with beaten egg and bake for 25 to 26 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and puffed, and the sausage is cooked through (no pink in the middle, or 75°C on a probe thermometer).
- Cool and add the eyes: Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using the tip of a teaspoon handle or a cocktail stick, dot two small blobs of English mustard into each face gap, then press a black sesame seed into the centre of each for pupils. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cook's notes
Make ahead: assemble the unbaked rolls up to a day in advance and keep covered in the fridge, or freeze on a tray, then bag up. Bake from frozen, adding 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with tomato ketchup, brown sauce or a pot of fruity chutney for dipping. Cookware to feature: a heavy, flat baking tray gives the crispest pastry base, and a wire cooling rack stops the bottoms going soggy. Dairy-free note: use a vegan puff pastry and brush with oat milk instead of egg.Chef's Tips
- Filling: I've kept it to sage, grated onion and a little Dijon. For a more grown-up version, swap the sage for thyme and add a spoonful of apple sauce or chutney to the meat.
- Eyes: English mustard with a black sesame seed pupil gives the best contrast. For a milder, kid-friendly option, use mayonnaise dots with a poppy seed or a tiny piece of olive.
- Pastry: The bandages are deliberately uneven and gappy, which looks more authentic and also means one 320g sheet goes a long way.
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