Pork and Apple Sausage Rolls

These pork and apple sausage rolls taste just like classic sausage rolls but have a fun little Fall twist. The addition of caramelized apples adds a tiny amount of sweetness and if you have ever had pork chops with apples, you know these two flavors are a perfect pair. I also added in bacon for even more flavor. This recipe is so easy to make and I know that you will want to make it again and again.

Sausage Rolls with Pork and Apple

These sausage rolls have everything. They are savory, juicy, slightly sweet, and a little smokey! When I was testing this recipe, I made these at my parents house so they got to try them. They could not stop eating them – seriously they are a little addicting. Something like this is perfect to make if you have a group of people coming over who like to eat.

Ever since I learned about sausage rolls, I was on a mission to try it. It seemed like the British version of “pigs in a blanket” but better! Flaky puff pastry wrapped around juicy sausage meat! How could it be bad? And it did not disappoint. The flavor is unreal! If you think pigs and blankets are good, you will love this!

And because I love the way pork and apple go together, I needed to add in just a hint of apple to these sausage rolls to give them a unique flavor. If you also love pork with apple, check out my other pork/apple recipes: Slow Cooker Apple Pork Chops and Pork and Apple Burgers with Cheddar.

What are Sausage Rolls?

Sausage rolls are a British snack that is made from seasoned ground pork and puff pastry. You season the ground pork with onions and spices, and then you fill puff pastry with the pork mixture, roll it up, cut it into individual rolls, give it an egg wash, and then bake them. People frequently add onions to their pork mixture, but I also wanted to give my version a cozy autumn vibe so I added some apple too.

I cooked the onions and apple for a long time so that it can get really soft and caramelize. This helps it blend into the meat better. I also added a little bacon and just a touch of fennel to give it a sausage flavor. I am not a huge fan of fennel, so the amount of fennel I added to the recipe gives the sausage roll a slight fennel flavor. If you try to reduce the amount of fennel even further, you may not taste the fennel at all.

Also when cutting the onions and apple, the size does matter. You want to dice both of them into small enough pieces that they will soften and caramelize easily, but not too small that they will burn on the heat.

I paired these pork and apple sausage rolls with a honey dijon sauce, but honestly, the sauce is unnecessary. I made a sauce because I was taking photos of these, and I wanted them to look styled, but it was truly unnecessary. The sausage rolls are so incredible on their own, they do not need anything else. I heard people also like to dip their sausage rolls in ketchup. Try out both and let me know which sauce you preferred in the comments below.

What do you need to make Sausage Rolls with Pork and Apple?

• Puff Pastry – I used store bought puff pastry. Each box comes with two sheets of puff pastry. You will be cutting each sheet in half, to make four pieces. And then each piece will make 4 sausage rolls, for a total of 16 sausage rolls.
• Ground Pork – This is also called “mince pork” in some regions.
• Apple – I used 1 large Granny Smith apple in this recipe.
• Bacon – This recipe does not use a lot of bacon, but it still adds to the flavor so much. Do not skip it.
• Onion – Yellow Onions are my favorite but white will also work.
• Fennel/Thyme – I used a mortar and pestle to quickly ground my fennel into a powder. I did not toast the fennel first.
• Garlic – I rarely make a recipe without garlic. Garlic Paste works best in this recipe.
• Sugar – Granulated white sugar is added to the onions as they are caramelizing to add some color and flavor.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – This helps balance out the sweet and savoriness of the dish. I love adding a little vinegar to my pork dishes to balance out the flavors.
• Breadcrumbs – This gets added in to the meat mixture in the same way we add breadcrumbs to meatballs. It brings a lightness so that the meat mixture is not so dense.
• Egg – This creates an egg wash on top of the puff pastry to create a shininess when baking.
• Sesame Seeds – Optional, but I love them on my sausage rolls.

How to make Pork and Apple Sausage Rolls

INGREDIENTS  

Apple Onion Mixture

• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 small Onion or half a regular size onion. Finely diced
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Granny Smith Apple cut into thin slices and then diced. See photo above.
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 oz Bacon diced into small pieces

Sausage Rolls

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced, or you can use 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp ground fennel
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs I use seasoned panko
• 1.5 tbsp Butter Melted
• 1 box Puff Pastry
• 1 Egg lightly whisked

INSTRUCTIONS 

Apple Onion Mixture

• Finely diced your onion and your apples(using the photo above as reference). Also, chop up your bacon into little squares. 
• Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium sized skillet on medium heat. Add your onion, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and 2 tbsp of sugar. Mix it around and let it cook on low/medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes. Stir frequently so they do not burn
• Next, add your apple and apple cider vinegar. Cook for another 25 minutes. You want the apples and onions to be extremely soft so that they will blend into the meat mixture well. 
• Add your bacon and cook for another 5 -7 minutes. You do not want the bacon to crisp up because you want to work it into your meat mixture. 

Sausage Rolls

• In a medium sized bowl combine your ground pork, 1/2 tsp sea salt, fennel, thyme, garlic, breadcrumbs, and melted butter. 
• Then, add your apple onion mixture and mix well. 
• Lay out each sheet of puff pastry, and cut it in half long ways so that you have four pieces. 
• Take 1/4 of the filling and add it to the middle of each sheet of pastry. Make sure the thickness is even, and then roll up the puff pastry into a long shape tightly and making sure there are no gaps. 
• Brush the egg wash along the long sides of the pastry and then roll it up. Lay the roll on the seam. Repeat with remaining puff pastry and meat mixture. 
• Once you have four long rolls, you can then put them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. This will make them easier to cut, but this step is not necessary. Cut each long roll into 4 equal pieces. You should have 16 sausage rolls. 
• Add the sausage rolls to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use remaining egg wash to top each piece and then add sesame seeds if you would like. 
• Bake for 35 minutes at 350F. Some juice from the meat mixture will escape but that is normal. Serve with some honey mustard, ketchup, or eat them plain.