Sausagemeat Pies With Flaky Pastry Recipes

SAUSAGE PLAIT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Grease a baking tray with oil using a pastry brush, then cover it with baking parchment. Put to one side. Remove the meat from the sausage skins by snipping off the ends, then squeezing the sausagemeat into a bowl (see step 1).
• Cut the pepper into small pieces with scissors. Break the egg into the cup, beat with a fork, and save 2 tbsp for glazing. Add the red pepper and remaining egg to the sausagemeat with the chilli flakes, if using, and purée. Mix well with a fork or clean hands (step 2).
• Sprinkle some flour on the work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry into a rough square shape, about 30 x 30cm. Put the pastry on the lined baking tray (step 3).
• Now spoon the filling down the middle of the pastry in a sausage shape - leave a little gap at the top and bottom (about 3cm) (step 4).
• Cut the pastry at a slight diagonal, on either side of the filling, into 1.5cm strips, the same number each side - we cut 12 strips each side. Brush the pastry all over with most of the saved egg (step 5).
• Tuck the top and bottom edges of the pastry over the filling. Starting at the top, lay the pastry strips over the filling, taking one from each side, to cross like a plait. Now brush the top all over with the last of the egg. Bake for 35-40 mins or until golden. Serve hot or cold with baked beans or salad (step 6).

SAUSAGEMEAT PIES WITH FLAKY PASTRY

Steps:

• For the pastry, put the flour, butter and salt in a medium bowl. Using a dinner knife, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of peas. Tip onto a clean work surface and form a well in the centre.
• Pour in the water and work it gradually into the mixture until the pastry just comes together into a ball (don't overwork it - see Eric's golden rules). Shape into a rough square - you'll see chunks of butter in it.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface with a floured rolling pin into a rough 25cm x 15cm rectangle (use the side of a ruler to help shape it). As you roll, add more flour as needed underneath and on top of the pastry so it doesn't stick.
• Brush any excess flour from the top of the pastry, then fold it in thirds like a letter, dusting after each fold.
• Give the dough a quarter turn, then repeat steps 3 and 4. Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
• Repeat the rolling and folding process twice more (you do it 4 times in total, and the rectangles should get neater every time).
• After the last fold, tap the top and sides of the dough with the rolling pin to give it an even, square shape. Put on a plate, cover, then refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Put the sausagemeat, onion, pâté, garlic, chopped sage and 50g flour in a large bowl and mix. Season well with salt and pepper, then divide into 4 equal balls and chill for 1 hour.
• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Wrap each sausagemeat ball in a crepe (this will soak up any juices and keep the pastry crisp - the crepes break easily but don't worry too much about making them fit perfectly). Brush all over with some of the beaten egg.
• Divide the pastry into 4 equal balls and roll out on a lightly floured surface into circles big enough to encase a ball of filling. If the chilled pastry is hard and a struggle to roll, leave it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before using.
• Put a sausagemeat ball in the centre of each pastry circle. Brush the pastry edges with a little more egg, then wrap it around the ball, enclosing it. Put the pies on 2 baking sheets lined with baking paper, with the seams underneath, and press down slightly to flatten them.
• Brush all over with the rest of the egg (see Eric's golden rules) then, with a sharp knife, lightly score a star shape on top. Make a small hole in the top for steam to escape, then bake for 25 minutes. Turn the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/gas 4 and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden.