Hoisin Duck Sausage Rolls
Flaky sausage rolls inspired by classic Chinese style hoisin duck spring rolls. The filling's made with tender shredded duck, pork sausage meat, sweet prunes and rich hoisin sauce.
Servings: 8 People
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Large Baking Tray
- Mixing Bowl
- Pastry Brush
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
Hoisin Marinade
- 4 Duck Legs (See Notes)
- 150 g Hoisin Sauce
- 25 g Rice Wine Vinegar
- 20 g Honey
- 15 g Dark Soy Sauce
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- A 1" Piece Of Fresh Ginger
Braising Liquid
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- A 1" Piece Of Fresh Ginger
- 1 Red Chilli (See Notes)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Star Anise
- 1 Chicken Stock Pot
Sausage Meat
- 500 g Sausage Meat
- 100 g Prunes
- 75 g Hoisin Sauce
- 4 Spring Onions
- 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
Sausage Rolls
- 640 g Ready Rolled Puff Pastry (2 Sheets)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Milk
- Sesame Seeds (Optional)
Instructions
Hoisin Marinade
- Add the hoisin, vinegar, honey & soy sauce into a large mixing bowl.
- Next, peel the garlic & ginger then grate both into the hoisin. Give the marinade a stir to combine then add in the duck legs, tossing them in the marinade so that they're completely coated.
- Transfer the duck & marinade into an airtight container (or ziplock bag) then chill in the fridge overnight.
Braising
- The next day, preheat an oven to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/284°f).
- Next, crush the garlic cloves, cut the the fresh ginger into thick slices & roughly chop the chilli. Set these aside for now.Don't worry about peeling the garlic or ginger! Use the flat side of a large knife or rolling pin to crush the garlic.
- Set a large ovenproof saucepan over a medium heat, add in the vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or two. In the meantime, take the duck legs out of the marinade, wiping any excess off. Don't throw the marinade away though, we'll be adding it to the braising liquid.
- Once the oil is hot, carefully add in the duck legs, skin side down then cook for 2-3 minutes until the skin is crisp & golden. Flip the legs over, cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown then transfer to a plate.Hoisin sauce will burn quite easily, so make sure to keep an eye on the duck as you sear it!
- Next, deglaze the pan with a splash of water. To do this, add a small amount of water into the pan then use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown caramelised bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Turn the heat down slightly then to the pan, add the garlic, ginger, chilli, cinnamon stick, star anise & chicken stock pot. Then place the duck legs back into the pan.
- Pour the reserved marinade over the duck legs then add enough cold water into the pan, to just cover the duck.
- Cover the pan with a lid then transfer to the preheated oven & cook for 2-3 hours, until the duck is tender enough to pull. Once cooked, the meat will be pulling away from the bone & when you insert a food probe/skewer into the meat, it should slide in with little to no resistance.If your pan hasn't got an ovenproof lid, cover the duck with a circle of baking parchment (a cartouche) then cover the top of the pan with foil.
- Once cooked, let the duck legs cool in the braising liquid until cool enough to handle then carefully lift them out. Use a fork (or your hands) to shred the meat into bitesize chunks then leave to cool before chilling in the fridge until completely cold. The duck will take at least a couple of hours to cool in the fridge. Try to shred the meat so it's not too chunky, as it will mix into the sausage meat better.
Sausage Meat
- Weigh 350g of the cold shredded duck into a mixing bowl then add in the sausage meat and hoisin sauce.
- Chop the prunes into 1cm pieces and thinly slice the spring onions then add both into the sausage meat, along with the chopped coriander.Make sure to wash and peel the spring onions as needed, before slicing.
- Using your hands, work the sausage meat together to form an even, cohesive mix. At this point, you can use the sausage meat straight but what I like to do is roll the mix in clingfilm to make 2 perfectly round sausages. I'll explain how to do this below!
Rolling Into Sausages (Optional)
- To roll the sausage meat, lay a double layer of clingfilm onto your work surface that's 2 sheets wide.
- Take half of the sausage meat (around 500 grams) and lay it horizontally across the top of the clingfilm, to form a rough sausage that's around 30cm long.
- Next, take the top edge of the clingfilm, bring it over the sausage meat then roll the meat inside the clingfilm, to make a perfectly round sausage. Tie the ends up then repeat the rolling process with the rest of the sausage meat, so you have 2 sausages in total.
- Chill the rolled sausage meat in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before using, so it hold its shape.There's a visual guide to doing this in the post above!
Sausage Rolls
- Add the egg and milk into a small bowl then beat with a fork to combine. This is our egg wash.
- Next, unroll a sheet of puff pastry then lay it on your work surface so it's sitting horizontally in front of you.
- Unwrap one of the rolled up sausages then place onto the puff pastry so that it's sitting along the length, roughly a third of the way up. If you haven't rolled your sausage meat, arrange half of it into a cylinder as you place it on the pastry.
- Brush the exposed edges of pastry with a light layer of egg wash then bring the edge furthest away from you up & over the sausage meat, pressing the 2 edges together lightly to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork then lightly trim to make a perfectly straight edge.Dipping your fork in flour stops it sticking to the pastry!
- Place the sausage roll onto a lined baking tray, repeat the shaping process with the other piece of pastry & remaining sausage meat then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This makes it easier to cut into portions.
- Next, trim the end off each sausage roll, to fully expose the filling then cut each into 4 even pieces. To portion, it's best to use a sharp knife in a sawing motion, wiping the blade clean after each cut if needed.
- Place the sausage rolls back onto the lined tray, brush each one with a light layer of egg wash then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Brush each sausage roll with another light layer of egg wash then top with a light sprinkle of sesame seeds and a pinch of sea salt.
- Bake the sausage rolls for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the filling has reach an internal temperature of 75°c/167°f.You may need to turn the tray halfway through, so that the pastry browns evenly.
- Once baked, leave the sausage rolls on the tray, to cool slightly then serve with extra hoisin sauce. Alternatively, leave to cool then refrigerate.
Salt Butter Smoke Magazine
Love seasonal cooking?
Issue 001 features over 20 original autumn recipes, seasonal features, preserving guides and beautiful photography.
Take a Look Inside →Notes
1. To Bake In An Aga - Bake the sausage rolls in the roasting oven, on the bottom set of runners. If they are colouring too quickly, move the tray to a grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven.
2. Sausage Meat - Using a good quality pork sausage meat makes all the difference when making sausage rolls, so I'd recommend visiting your local butcher. If you're using sausages, you'll need to remove the skins first.
3. Duck - I used my hoisin braised duck legs for this recipe but confit duck would work as well. Or if you can get minced duck legs, that will work too (just the meat not any skin or cartilage if you do it yourself)! 4 duck legs should give you just the right amount for this recipe but any leftover (we weigh the shredded meat out) can be eaten separately.
4. Puff Pastry - For convenience, I used ready rolled puff pastry sheets but feel free to use a block and roll it out yourself if you'd prefer.
5. Chilli – I added a mild red chilli to my braising liquid, for a subtle amount of spice. Feel free to use a hotter chilli if you’d prefer or leave the chilli out completely.
6. Making Ahead Of Time - Once assembled, these sausage rolls can be chilled in the fridge for up to a day before being baked. It's best to brush them with egg wash just before baking though. If you've rolled the sausage meat in clingfilm, it's best to use them within a day.
7. Storage - Leftover sausage rolls need to be stored in the fridge and are best eaten within 3 days. You can serve them hot or cold.
8. Reheating – To reheat the sausage rolls, place them into a 180°c/356°f oven for around 20 minutes, until they are piping hot. The internal temperature should be at least 75°c/167°f. If the pastry is starting to brown too much, cover the tray loosely with foil.
Enjoying This Recipe?
The Prep List is my free weekly newsletter with seasonal recipes, kitchen notes and behind-the-scenes from my kitchen. Add Salt Butter Smoke as a Google Preferred Source to see more of my recipes in Search.