Australian Sausage Rolls

Second week. It is getting easier in the specific way that routines get easier once they have a few repetitions behind them. The 7:15 AM handoff at Patty's is no longer devastating. It is still a lot. It is no longer devastating. The slow cooker is set every Sunday and Thursday for the next day's dinner. The lunches are packed the night before. Ryan and I have our lanes and we stay in them and we check in with each other at the end of the day with a honesty I am grateful for.

Owen and Nora are doing well with Patty. According to Patty's daily reports, which she gives me at the 4:30 pickup with the thoroughness of a clinical notes handoff, Owen is very interested in Patty's kitchen cabinet handles, and Nora has started pulling herself up on the coffee table, which is not supposed to happen until eight or nine months, and which Patty reported with the pride of a grandmother who takes developmental milestones as a personal achievement.

I have twenty-two students this year and three of them I am already writing IEP-adjacent notes on in my head, the ones who need a different entry point, a different pacing, a different way of understanding that they belong in this room and I am glad they are here. I have loved this part of the job since my first year. I am still glad I came back.

Sunday batch cook: pulled pork in the slow cooker, a big pot of chicken and vegetable soup, roasted sweet potatoes with cumin and olive oil. This took two and a half hours while Ryan had both babies outside in the stroller. I put on a podcast and cooked and the apartment smelled like something worth coming home to. That is the goal, always. Something worth coming home to.

The Sunday batch cook has become my anchor — the two and a half hours that make the rest of the week feel held together. These sausage rolls have earned a regular spot in the rotation because they do exactly what I need: they come together while something else is already going, they reheat beautifully on a Tuesday night when nobody has anything left, and when they come out of the oven, the apartment smells like something worth coming home to. That’s the whole goal, and these deliver every time.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 12 rolls

Ingredients

1 lb (450g) ground pork sausage
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 small yellow onion, finely grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten (plus 1 extra for egg wash)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 tbsp sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Soak breadcrumbs. In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for 2 minutes until the milk is absorbed.
Make the filling. Add the ground sausage, grated onion, garlic, beaten egg, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper to the breadcrumb mixture. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork.
Prep the pastry. On a lightly floured surface, unfold each puff pastry sheet. Cut each sheet in half lengthwise to create two long rectangles (four total).
Fill and roll. Divide the sausage filling into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a log along the center of a pastry rectangle. Fold the pastry over the filling and press the edge to seal. Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
Cut and brush. Cut each roll into three equal pieces. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if using.
Bake. Bake for 22—25 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden brown and the filling is cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Store. Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Australian Sausage Rolls — The Sunday Batch Cook That Made the Apartment Smell Like Home