Recipe for Glamorgan Sausages

Glamorgan sausages are delicious - and these traditional Welsh sausages make a great dish for vegetarians, as they’re made with cheese rather than meat. Caerphilly cheese is the one to use, a deliciously crumbly cheese from the south of Wales. This recipe for Glamorgan sausages, which appears here with permission, comes from Canteen’s Great British Food Food by Cass Titcombe, Dominic Lake and Patrick Clayton-Malone (pub. Ebury Press £16.99).

150g leeks

25g butter

10 fresh sage leaves, chopped

200g Caerphilly cheese

150g boiled potatoes

Freshly grated nutmeg

50g soft white breadcrumbs

Salt and black pepper

To finish:

60g plain white flour

2 eggs, beaten

100g dried white breadcrumbs

sunflower oil for shallow frying



Method

Remove the outer layer and about one-quarter of the dark green ends from the leeks. Cut in half lengthways and in half again, then cut across into 5mm pieces. Wash well under cold running water; drain.

Melt the butter in a pan and sweat the leeks over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft, making sure they don’t brown at all. Add the sage and season with salt and pepper. Drain in a sieve and cool.

Remove any rind from the cheese, then crumble into a bowl. Break up the potatoes with your hands and mix with the cheese and leeks. Season with pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg. Mix in the soft breadcrumbs. Knead into a ball and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Divide into approximately 50g pieces and roll each into a sausage shape about 10cm long. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Gently roll the sausages in flour to coat all over, then dip in egg and, finally, coat evenly in breadcrumbs. Roll them on a flat surface to achieve an even shape. Place on a tray and keep in the fridge until you want to cook them.

Shallow fry for 3–4 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot, with beetroot relish.

Notes: Don’t make the Glamorgan sausages too fat or they will not cook through • If the mix is a bit sticky to shape neatly, pop the sausages into the freezer for 15 minutes • To give a very firm coating, you can dip the sausages in egg and breadcrumbs a second time, for a double layer.