Pork, sage and apple pies

MAKES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 35 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME)

400g pork and fennel sausages

40g butter

2 small Granny Smith apples (260g), peeled, cored, cut into 1cm pieces

½ cup (120g) sour cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg, beaten lightly small fresh sage leaves, extra

1 cup (300g) apple sauce

1 Slit sausages at the top with a sharp knife; squeeze out sausage meat from casings.

2 Melt butter in a large saucepan. Cook apples, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add sausage meat; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up lumps, for 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in sour cream, sage and nutmeg. Season. Cool.

3 Lightly grease and preheat a 4-hole (¾-cup/180ml) pie maker.

4 Using pastry cutter provided, cut four large rounds (15.5cm) from shortcrust pastry and four small rounds (12cm) from puff pastry. Line prepared holes with shortcrust pastry rounds, pressing into base and side. Refrigerate remaining pastry rounds until required.

5 Spoon ⅔ cup sausage mixture into each pastry case. Top with puff pastry rounds; press edges firmly to seal. Brush pastry with egg and decorate with extra sage leaves; spray with oil. Close and cook for 8 minutes or until pastry is golden.

6 Serve pies straightaway with apple sauce.

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.