Beth O’Brien’s herby sausage rolls

Here’s my recipe for herby sausage rolls. You can substitute other fresh herbs – the more the merrier. Dill and tarragon are good accompaniments to pork, as well as sage and parsley. You can also absolutely use shop-bought puff pastry and skip the first couple of steps – but I do think that home-made puff is much tastier.

1. For the puff pastry: Mix the flour, vinegar, salt and water together to form a rough dough. Shape this into a disc and refrigerate for at least an hour. Place the butter on a sheet of baking paper and flatten slightly with a rolling pin. Fold the four edges over and tuck underneath, then roll out to form a rectangle about 15x20cm. Refrigerate the butter for at least an hour.

2. Roll the dough out to approximately 20x30cm. Place the butter in the middle (with the edges flush) so it covers the entire middle part. Fold the two edges over and press down lightly to seal.

3. Turn the dough so the seam is perpendicular to the edge of the counter. Roll out to about twice the length, then fold the top quarter down and the bottom quarter up so the edges meet. Fold again to create four layers of dough. Refrigerate for at least one hour, then repeat this rolling out and folding twice more (three times total).

4. For the filling: Sauté the onion for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and salt, and fry for another few minutes. Allow this to cool fully.

5. Use a sharp knife to slit the sausages, and then remove the casings. Place the sausage meat in a bowl with the sautéed onions and the rest of the ingredients. Mix to combine. At this stage, you can fry a piece of the filling to test the seasoning – it may need more salt or chilli flakes.

6. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees fan/210 degrees conventional oven.

7. Roll the pastry out to approximately 15x40cm. Cut in half so you have two 15x20cm sheets. Use your hands to spread the sausage mixture down the middle of both pieces (lengthways). Egg wash one side, lightly cross-hatch the other with a sharp knife and fold the pastry over, pressing down to seal. Egg wash the top, then use a sharp knife to score the top lightly. Cut into eight or 12 pieces and place on a lined baking tray. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

8. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. The internal temperature should be about 75 degrees: you can test this with an instant-read thermometer, or insert a metal skewer for a few seconds before testing the temperature against the inside of your wrist. It should be too hot to hold against your skin.