Fancy Sausage Rolls

These were meant to be a 'healthier' option, as we all know anything that contains puff pastry can't be classified as 'healthy', but these are definitely leaner then your average ground beef/sausage mince filled sausage rolls. They are a great source of protein and you can hide almost anything in them, which is fantastic for those of you with fussy eaters in your household. And who doesn't love a sausage roll?

You will need.. (makes 36 party-sized sausage rolls)
1 small zucchini, ends removed
1 small carrot, peeled, ends removed
300gr turkey mince
3 rashers middle bacon
1/2 small onion
2 garlic cloves
canola/non-stick cooking spray
1 egg
1/2 cup panko* breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs if you can't find panko)
1 tsp dried parsley & oregano
pinch of salt & freshly cracked black pepper
3 sheets ready-made puff pastry
1/4 cup milk

Method...
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius, fan-forced. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Remove the pastry from the freezer to thaw, if frozen.
2. Finely dice the onion and bacon, crush the garlic. Heat a non-stick frypan and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sweat off the onion and bacon on a medium-low heat until onion becomes translucent, then add the garlic and sweat for 30 seconds to release the flavour. Set aside to cool

2. Grate the zucchini and carrot into a large bowl, add the bacon/onion and turkey mince. Use your hands to combine well. Add the breadcrumbs, seasoning and herbs. Mix well.
3. Crack the egg into a small bowl and use a fork to whisk the egg lightly. Add to the turkey mixture and fold all together using your hands.
4. Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, slice the pastry down the centre so you have 6 oblong pieces. Use your hand to scoop out 1/6th of the turkey mixture and spread evenly across the pastry just under the centre line of the sheet. Fold the bottom of the pastry over the top of the filling, then roll up so that the seam is on the bottom.

5. Using a sharp knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut into 6 even mini sausage rolls and transfer onto the prepared baking tray, leaving about 1 inch gap between each roll to allow for the pastry to puff. Continue this process with the remaining sheets and mixture.

6. Once you have filled, rolled and cut all of the sausage rolls, use a pastry brush to lightly coat the top of each roll with the milk- this will ensure they become a nice, even golden brown colour.
7. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, rotating halfway. Remove once they are nicely browned and the puff is cooked through. If you are concerned, remove one and cut down the centre to ensure the filling is cooked.
8. Serve hot, with or without sauce. If you are making for future use, remove them from the oven 5 minutes early, allow to cool and place into labelled freezer-bags or containers and place in the freezer. To reheat, place on an oven tray in a preheated oven (about 170 degrees celsius) for 20 minutes.

*panko are Japanese breadcrumbs, usually found at Asian grocers or the International isle at your local supermarket. They are a course, white breadcrumb and are perfect for giving an extra light, crispy coating to anything you intend to deep-fry.