British GP 2017 - Sausage Rolls & Mushy Peas

British food gets a bad rap. But honestly I love everything I've made for British races, and I loved everything I ate when I was in London 10 years ago. In addition to excellent fried food, curries, and sweets, the Brits know what they are doing when it comes to comfort food and that is exactly what I made for this year. 

Sausage rolls and mushy peas, this combination worked great. Greasy, heavy sausage and buttery pastry paired with light, bright peas with lemon and herbs. 

English Sausage Rolls

From All Recipes 

1 (16 ounce) package pork sausagemeat(either use pre-seasoned uncooked sausage or ground pork with chopped onion, and seasoning mixed in)
1 (17.25 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 beaten egg

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Unfold the puff pastry sheets, and cut along the fold lines of each sheet to form 6 equal squares for a total of 12 squares. Brush each square with mustard. Divide sausage into 12 pieces, and roll into small logs. Place one log on each square. Roll dough around the sausage, and seal with a bit of beaten egg. Place rolls onto an ungreased baking sheet, and brush the tops with the rest of the egg.

3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the rolls are puffed and golden. Watch after 10 minutes or so to make sure they don't burn.

Mushy Peas

From Serious Eats

1 pound frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint, basil or sage (optional)

1. Place peas, 1 tablespoon butter and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Cook, stirring often, until peas are thawed and soft and butter is melted, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and mash peas with a potato masher until desired consistency is reached.

2. Add lemon juice and remaining butter and mix until butter is incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper adding optional herbs if using.

We helped this meal down with a couple classic British beverages: a gin and tonic, and a refreshing shandy. Cheers!

And Banoffee Pie! 

For this occasion we brought out my grandfather's china tea set and my husband's father's gift of imported Earl Grey tea. We had our own little personal tea party, complete with banoffee pie.