Herby Sausage Plait
Serves:Ingredients
- 2 slices bread made into crumbs – grate on a coarse grater if you don’t have a processor
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 good meaty sausages, or approximately 500g - I like a herby Italian flavoured sausage
- 2 sheets frozen flaky or puff pastry defrosted
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for glazing
Method
Preheat the oven to 210°C. Grease a baking tray.
In a bowl or processor combine the breadcrumbs, onion, herbs, mustard powder, and salt.
Slice the sausage casings longwise with a serrated knife and tip the sausage meat into the breadcrumb mixture. Discard casings. Pulse or mix with your hands to combine.
Lightly wet the edge of one of the pastry sheets then over-lap the second piece onto the dampened edge to form a large rectangle. Press down firmly to seal along the join.
Trim approx 3 cm off the end of the pastry rectangle and transfer to a greased baking tray.
Scoop the sausage meat mixture onto the pastry arranging it in a strip down the centre of the pastry. Shape and neaten it, allowing enough pastry either side to completely overlap the filling.
Slice 1 cm strips along each side of the pastry – dont worry if they aren’t even, it is a rustic dish, so will just look “handmade” and delicious if a bit lumpy and bumpy.
Fold the pastry ends over to enclose the ends of the sausage filling, then criss- cross the pastry strips over the top.
Brush all over with the beaten egg mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until dark golden. Serve warm or cold with tomato sauce or relish.
Tips
You can make this with a package of good quality sausage meat instead of actual sausages if you prefer.