Ultimate sausage rolls

Method

1. Peel the shallots, keeping the roots intact, then cut almost all the way into quarters, stopping just before you cut through the root (so the petals stay together). Put the rest of the pickled shallot ingredients in a small pan and add a pinch of salt. Add the shallots, bring to the boil, then leave to cool. Transfer to a sterilised jar and leave in a cool, dry place to pickle for at least a week.

2. To make the pastry, coarsely grate the chilled butter into a bowl, then add the flour and rub together loosely with your fingertips until roughly incorporated – you want some large chunks of butter to give you good flaky pastry. Add a pinch of salt, then the ice-cold water, little by little, bringing the dough together into a ragged clump (you might not need to use all the water).

3. On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a rough 12cmx 20cm rectangle. With the short side facing you, fold the bottom third up into the centre, then the top third back over that. Wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

4. While the pastry rests, make the sausagemeat. Roughly chop the pork belly and fillet, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Toast the whole spices in a hot, dry pan for a few minutes, then coarsely grind with a pestle and mortar. Tip into the processor with the rest of the ingredients, then pulse to a coarse texture – like a slightly chunkier sausagemeat. Drain and weigh out 50g of the pickled shallots, finely chop them (discarding the roots), then stir into the mixture. Keep in the fridge until needed.

5. After an hour, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface to a neat rectangle about 20cm x 50cm. The same as before, fold up the bottom third, then the top third back over. Turn the square 90 degrees to the right, roll it back out into a rectangle, then repeat the folding process. Cover and return to the fridge for 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and turning process before refrigerating again for at least 30 minutes.

6. Now it’s time to make the sausage rolls. Roll out the pastry into a neat rectangle measuring 50cm x 30cm (around 4mm thick). With a long edge facing you, cut into thirds so you have 3 rectangles roughly 17cm x 30cm. Divide the sausagemeat into thirds, then shape into logs the same length as the pastry and place one in the centre of each rectangle. Brush along one long side of the pastry with the beaten egg, then fold the pastry over the sausagemeat, flattening it a little as you do so and sealing the edges together with the side of your hand. Transfer to a tray lined with baking paper, then freeze for 10 minutes to firm up.

7. Cut each log in half (or into quarters if you want small sausage rolls), crimp the edges with a fork, slash the tops with several diagonal cuts (these will let the steam out) and trim the open ends so the finish is neat and the rolls cook evenly. Brush the tops liberally with egg wash, then put in the freezer for 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200ºC fan/gas 7.

8. Brush the sausage rolls again with egg wash, then sprinkle with the poppy seeds – sprinkling from a height will give you an even distribution. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until gorgeous and golden.

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