This is truly a sausage roll all dressed up for Christmas! Sweet, sticky fruit with the whiff of dark spirits in the background. We have made them fairly generous, but you could easily make them smaller and more dainty, to be eaten as a canapé alongside a schooner of sherry.
Boozy Prune, Apple & Chestnut Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
Method
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Turn your oven to 190⁰C/Gas 7.
Put the chopped prunes into a small bowl with the brandy and leave them to plump up.
Meanwhile, warm 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan and cook the onion for 10-15 minutes until completely softened.
Tip the onion into a mixing bowl along with soaked prunes, breadcrumbs, herbs, lemon zest and chestnuts. Grate in the apple, skin and all. Remove the skin from the sausages and crumble the filling into to the bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper; remembering that the sausage meat will already be seasoned. Mix everything together well.
Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle, about 3mm thick. Pack the filling evenly along the pastry, lengthways. Fold the pastry over to make one large sausage roll. Press it together where the pastry meets and trim away the excess. Use the tines of a fork to press the join together. Cut the roll into even-sized portions, about 6-8 pieces is about right. Transfer them to a lined baking tray.
Brush each sausage roll with beaten egg and transfer to the oven to bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm, or chill them well, refrigerate and serve cold.
