Served hot or cold, this autumnal version of a classic British staple is sure to be a winning recipe
Our resident recipe writer Susie Carter is embracing the new season with this autumnal dish, she says, “There’s not much that will beat a good sausage roll, hot from the oven on a crisp autumn day. This recipe takes things up a notch with seasonal partridge and mushrooms for a boost of umami richness. You can use shop-bought puff pastry to save time, though I like the robustness of homemade flaky. If you’re not serving them hot, leave to cool completely on a wire rack before chilling in the fridge, then enjoy them cold, porkpie-style, with a decent chutney.”
Ingredients, makes 8
25g salted butter
250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, crushed
500g sausage meat
250g partridge breasts, cut into small chunks
For the flaky pastry
100g butter, frozen
50g lard, frozen
300g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 egg, beaten
Method
1. First make the pastry. Coarsely grate the butter and lard into the flour, then toss together to coat. Add just enough chilled water to make a pliable, but not sticky dough (it was about 130 ml for me, but it varies each time). Knead as little as possible to get it to come together, then wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the butter in a sauté pan with a splash of oil and fry the mushrooms and thyme for 10 minutes over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, turn down the heat and stir-fry for 2 more minutes, then leave to cool completely.
3. Squidge together the sausage meat, partridge chunks and mushrooms until well mixed into one big sticky mass. Chill until needed.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200 fan), gas 7 and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
5. Roll out the pastry into a 40cm square, then cut it into two rectangles. Divide the partridge mixture in half and shape a long sausage down the length of each pastry rectangle. Brush a little beaten egg down one side, then fold over the pastry and crimp with a fork to seal. Brush the tops with more beaten egg, then cut into eight large rolls.
6. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (180 fan), gas 6 and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is crisp underneath and the meat is cooked through to the middle.
Find it in Hampshire
Sausage meat
Odiham, 01256 704128
Partridge breasts
Andover, 01264 730294
Chestnut mushrooms
New Forest Wild & Exotic Mushrooms
New Milton, 07970 470334
And to drink
Introducing our new drinks columnist, Helen McGinn, aka The Knackered Mother. Her Knackered Mother’s Wine Club book has soared to the top of the charts and she is now a regular face on our tv screens as she shares her top tipples from our local supermarkets. Here, she combines her love of good value drinks with her passion for local produce to give us the best pairings for Susie’s recipes. This month she says, “Anything wrapped in pastry gets my vote but when it comes to finding the ideal drinks to go with this recipe it’s what’s on the inside that counts. The two key ingredients here – partridge and chestnut mushrooms – both deliver pretty robust flavours so to match it we need something with a fair bit of oomph (not a technical term but you know what I mean). From bubbles to beer to a warming wintery red, we’ve covered all bases this month. All you’ve got to do now is decide which one you’re in the mood for. Cheers!”
Hattingley Valley Brut Rosé 2015, £37
This Hampshire-based producer makes some of the smartest English Sparkling Wines around and this award-winning rosé is right up there. Made from the classic red ‘champagne’ grapes including Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, a small proportion of the blend is fermented in French oak barrels adding extra toasty weight and texture to the glorious red fruit flavours. It’s a seriously good sausage roll-loving fizz worth treating yourself to.
Tesco Finest Central Otago Pinot Noir, £13
The Pinot Noir grape loves partridge and mushrooms in equal measure but good Pinot doesn’t come cheap. This one, however, is great value given it’s made by Villa Maria from grapes grown in one of New Zealand’s top spots for red wine, Central Otago in the South Island. Think earthy (in a good way) with dark cherry and raspberry fruit flavours together with a generous dash of spice. Best sipped fireside.
Unity is currently Southampton’s coolest brewery, founded in 2016 by Jimmy Hatherley thanks to his love of yeast-driven, full-flavoured beers. Made using a mix of Mosaic and Columbus hops, the out-there flavours of this unfiltered India Pale Ale means it more than matches up to the meaty flavours of the sausage roll filling whilst the bubbles cut through the pastry like a hot knife through butter.
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