In collaboration with Tasty, Easy Lamb.
When I was a little girl my mother used to make the best meat pies ever with leftover Sunday roast. The cold roast was cut into pieces and fed into an electric meat grinder along with an onion and a carrot and bound together with leftover gravy (always of Bisto origin, it was the 1980-90s after all!). This gorgeous meat pie filling was encased in my grandmother’s pie crust recipe, a recipe my grandmother had brought to Canada with her when she immigrated from England after the war.
That pie filling and that crust recipe – it’s my first real food memory from my childhood. Oh, how I loved those meat pies, especially cold the next day straight from the fridge served with a giant dollop of Cape Breton chow-chow (a bit like Piccalilli Pickle).
Sometimes, if there was enough filling leftover and extra pie crust my mother would make a batch of sausage rolls for my brother and I. Same delicious food combination but in a more portable form – perfect for picnics and outdoor adventuring.
For this recipe I’ve recreated my mother’s technique for making those delicious sausage rolls but this time using leftover roast lamb with a handful of fresh mint leaves from the garden thrown in for flavour. Another important tip is to use a good quality gravy to bind the dry roast lamb together. I like to make my own lamb gravy by throwing any lamb bones with bits of meat still stuck to them (from cutting my own cubed lamb shoulder from a whole piece instead of buying ready cubed) into a baking tray with a whole unpeeled quartered onion (the onion skin gives the gravy a nice colour), a halved carrot, a few sticks of celery and several whole, unpeeled garlic cloves.
This gets roasted for 45 minutes under a high heat in the oven and then gets transferred to a large stock pot. I add enough cold water to cover and then leave the pot with the lid on to simmer for at least four hours before cooling and straining.
This makes the best gravy ever, I tell you! You’ll never buy stock cubes again once you’ve tried this. You can pick up lamb bones at your local butchers too, possibly even for free as they tend to just bin them anyway.
Now I learned, over the years, that my mother’s sausage roll technique is not the traditional way Brits make their sausage rolls, so I’ve included two different versions. The second version, as you can see pictured above, is made with ready made puff pastry. Same filling, different pastry. These sausage rolls are sprinkled with sesame seeds for extra flavour and visual appeal, but to be honest, there were twelve people at our recent weekend picnic and it was the sausage rolls with my grandmother’s pastry recipe that were preferred. Total picnic comfort food.
Sunny weekends were meant for lounging by the fishpond making reed mats (featured under the sausage roll plate, did you notice?), weren’t they. Summer is officially here!
For more summer lamb recipe inspiration visit the Tasty Easy Lamb website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Roast Lamb & Mint Sausage Rolls: Two Ways
Ingredients
for my grandmother's pastry recipe
- 750 grams plain flour sifted
- 10 grams brown sugar
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 454 grams lard
- 4 tsp white vinegar
- 1 egg beaten (plus another to glaze)
- cold water
for the lamb & mint filling
- 450 grams leftover roast lamb
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 handful mint leaves finely chopped
- 200 ml leftover lamb gravy
- 1 small egg
for the puff pastry version
- 500 grams ready made puff pastry
- 1 small egg beaten
- sesame seeds to sprinkle
to serve
- hot tomato pickle
Instructions
- To prepare the dough, mix the flour, brown sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and lard together with your fingertips. Rub together until the consistency is like fine breadcrumbs.
- Mix the vinegar with the beaten egg and add enough cold water to bring the volume up to 225 ml.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Turn out onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes until it forms a smooth ball.
- Divide the dough into two and shape into flat, round discs. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate until needed.
- To prepare the filling, finely chop the leftover roast lamb into 5mm or smaller dice. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat oven to 220 C/ 200 C fan and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Roll out each disc of pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Using a sharp knife carefully cut the dough into 3.5 inch squares.
- Arrange one tablespoonful of the lamb and mint filling down the centre of each square.
- Brush a little beaten egg along one side of square and fold over the two sides so that the egg wash side sticks to the other side to form a sausage roll shape.
- Brush the tops with beaten egg and prick with the tines of a fork two times to let steam escape.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- If using the ready made puff pastry, allow to come to room temperature for a half an hour before rolling out into a rectangle shape the thickness of a pound coin.
- Using a sharp knife carefully cut into two long rectangles about 4 inches wide and 15 inches long.
- Arrange the lamb and mint filling along the centre of each rectangle and brush beaten egg down the pastry on one side. Fold over the pastry to seal.
- Using a serrated knife, cut each piece into 9 sausage rolls and arrange on a baking tray.
- Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to serve.
- Serve the sausage rolls hot or cold with hot tomato pickle, if desired.
OTHER LAMB RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Quick & Easy BBQ Lamb Skewers
BBQ Lamb Leg Steaks with Harissa & Mint
15-Minute One-Pan Lamb & Quinoa Midweek Supper
Street Food: Brazilian-Style Lamb Kibe
Chilean-inspired Lamb Burgers with Pebre & Marraqueta Buns
Brazilian-inspired Lamb Feijoada with Mango Salsa
Slow Cooker Lamb Chilli with Pasilla Peppers
Argentine-inspired Lamb Chops with Chimichurri
Lamb Casserole with Ale
Pistachio & Orange Crusted Mini Roast
Mediterranean-inspired BBQ Koftas, Couscous Salad & Baharat Yogurt Dip
Slow-cooked Shetland Lamb Casserole with Creamy Herbed Polenta
Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie
OTHER PICNIC RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Herbed Potato Picnic Bannocks
A Summer Fruits Picnic Cake
Picnic/BBQ Bread Rolls
Our Family Favourite Potato Salad Recipe
Five Minute BBQ Sauce Recipe
Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies
Bear Paws (Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies)
This is a commissioned recipe for Tasty, Easy Lamb, although all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Loving the idea of lamb sausage rolls. They sound delicious, particularly with the addition of mint. Thanks for sharing xx
Brian says
Wow, it looks so delicious. I have ate something very alike like a month ago, but that’s a month too long! I will try your recipe tomorrow.
Elizabeth O says
Even though I don’t eat meat, I can appreciate beautifully made food like yours. I love a hint of mint in some of my dishes too. Yum.
Megan says
I love how you can use leftovers to make another equally tasty meal! I’m so glad you gave the pastry recipe because I haven’t found one yet!
Blair Villanueva says
Yummylicious! Your post makes me starving, haha. Love it.
Hey Sharonoox says
Although I’m not a huge fan of lamb but this looks so bomb! I know my hubby would love this.
Ankita says
This platter seems to be very delicious..They can be use for outdoor activities and parties.
David Kimani says
Looks so delicious.
Agentszerozerosetter says
This recipe is genious! Perfect for a picnic, nutritious and yummy!
Ophelia Tang says
The sausage rolls look delicious. It would be great to make in parties. Thanks for sharing.
XOXO //
Helene Cohen Bludman says
Now this is something I need to try! It would be perfect for our next family gathering.
Gloria says
Those look like I could stuff them with veggies and bring them to my next potluck. What a great idea.
peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
This is such a clever use of leftovers. I totally love the idea. It looks great too.
Amber Myers says
These sound like something I’d like. I’ve never had a mint sausage roll, but I imagine I’d like it!
colleen wool says
Your recipe look so delicious. I cant wait to try it.
Jay says
Those mint rolls look epic. Although I am not a huge fan of lamb this looks soo tasty!!
Shannon says
I’m a huge fan of finger foods and this looks like a great food for outdoor activities and gatherings! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I’ll add it to my “must try” list!
Corinne & Kirsty says
These looks absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I’ll give them a go! xx corinne
Rishi Malar says
There are a few, delicious recipes my mum has inherited from my grandma and still authentically follows the recipe and so do I 🙂
A good way of avoiding food wastage! Will definitely keep in mind and bookmarking to use in future!
Rhian Westbury says
Wow these sound amazing. I’ve actually never made my own pastry before so I might need to try your recipe x
Heather Johnson says
I have not had a meat pie for a long time. Your Roast Lamb & Mint Sausage Rolls look and sound super tasty!
Jessica Taylor says
Those look so good! I’ve never had the chance to try lamb before!
Mellissa Williams says
Wow these lamb sausage rolls look mouthwatering. The most difficult thing is to have leftover lamb and I eat it al!
Sarah Bailey says
Hands up there is nothing like a good sausage roll, they are most definitely comfort food. My Gran used to make them from scratch and yum! I think I’m going to have to try your recipe and hopefully make her proud.
Denay DeGuzman says
Such gorgeous images! I can’t believe that after all these years I’ve never had the pleasure of eating a lamb sausage roll. But with your recipe and instructions I would love to make these in my own kitchen. I love how the recipe your grandmother brought from England is cherished and used by two more generations of women. So beautiful!
GiGi Eats says
Oh wow! THESE look phenomenal and sensational! I wannnntttt! 🙂
Kristy says
After googling this topic, I came upon your post. This is just what I needed; thank you for sharing this recipe it’s perfect for this weekend’s party
Akamatra says
Isn’t it just precious to have a legacy of recipes from a grandma that everybody still loves to eat? I have a few from my own and I cherish them. They look mouthwatering by the way!
elsie says
yummy yummy! Looks amazing