Once when Richard was little and we were traveling we made an emergency stop at a restaurant in East Tennessee. The emergency was endless whining creating the real possibility that I might lose my mind. Clearly this stop was inspired by desperation rather than hunger. Several tables were occupied by parents with young children, but what we remember from this experience was a little boy sitting near us. He was staring with obvious fascination at the ketchup that came in small packages instead of a bottle and with a pronounced East Tennessee accent, yelled in delight, “Look Momma – it’s fancy ketchup!” We have adopted that term “fancy” and enjoy adding “fancy” to food names whenever we need a fun descriptive. Yesterday I was creating a jazzed-up version of sausage pinwheels for a party. Instead of the usual dough and sausage, these were made with puff pastry and parmesan cheese, plus red pepper and a little spinach for Christmas color. My son walked by and said, “Save me some of those Fancy Pinwheels.” And there you have it; Fancy Party Pinwheels have become a thing! Best of all they were a huge hit at the party receiving compliments and being enjoyed as second helpings all the way around. I did not save my son Fancy Sausage Pinwheels, but they’ll make a re-appearance very soon. In fact, this would be a lovely little treat on Christmas morning. These are also the perfect cocktail bites and would be a great thing to take to a party. They are delicious hot, and still marvelous at room temperature. And here is the big deal – you can make Fancy Party Pinwheels ahead of time and freeze the roll of dough to unfreeze, slice and bake as needed! Merry Christmas Darling! Happy New Year too! This is a great way to celebrate the season. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 packages puff pastry sheets, thawed (4 total – I only used 3 and refroze the 4th)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 generous handful of fresh spinach, chopped
2 packages breakfast sausage
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (the kind in the can is fine)
1 egg
Directions
Heat olive oil over low heat in a large pot.
Add onions and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
Add red pepper and cook until softened about 5 minutes, stir in spinach to wilt.
Remove vegetables from pot and set aside.
Add sausage to the same pot and crumble, cook until done.
Mix vegetables and sausage together.
Roll 3 sheets of pastry (reserve 4th for another use) to about 10 inches sprinkle with cheese, and cover with sausage mixture.
Roll both sides toward the center until they touch.
Freeze for 10 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice pastry into about 1/3-inch slices and place on baking sheets.
Beat egg in a small bowl with 1 tsp of water and brush over each slice.
Bake for about 20 minutes until browned.
