SAUSAGE ROLL

by Ed Halmagyi

Instructions

There are several great Australian traditions of which we should rightly be proud.

Surf life saving for one.

Our love of sport for another.

But how should I regard the sausage roll?

Sausage rolls are, arguably, one of Australia’s most popular convenience foods, and they were one of the first inventions of the new colony some time around 1795. The design was derivative, that’s not in question, after all the inventor was a convict cook of German extraction who had grown up being served Würstchen im Schlafrock (‘sausages in dressing gowns’) as a child in Bavaria. They were a wrapped Kransky with heart disease as a condiment. What was unique about his Aussie sausage was the used of a layered pastry.

So you wonder where this was recorded. Truly it must be said that the detail recorded by some colonial journalists is bizarre in the extreme. But that’s why we have the Mitchell Library.

The idea of wrapping a sausage in dough then baking or frying it has origins as far back as the 15th century. Today most of the world calls it ‘pigs in blankets’.

But here in Australia we like it simpler – it’s a sausage roll, and it’s the perfect summer breakfast. Seriously. After a swim, with a big cup of coffee. Try it, you’ll be surprised.

Commercial sausage rolls are just not health food. After all, what makes the filling tender is the use of fatty meat. Add to this a butter-rich pastry and it becomes the dirty little secret you keep from your personal trainer.

But a homemade sausage roll can be just as tasty, if not better, and much healthier to boot. Choose lean meat, a low-fat pastry, and plenty of vegetables in the filling.

And when baking, make sure the oven is hot to start. Puff pastry need a burst of high heat to separate the layers of the dough, then a slightly cooler oven to crisp them afterwards.

Ah, I can almost taste it now – crisp pastry, rich sausage filling, and a strong latte! Now that’s my Aussie summer on a plate!
Chicken and onion sausage rolls