Jamie Oliver has shared his recipe for pigs in blankets and it’s sure to elevate your Christmas dinner. The celebrity chef suggests adding a ‘higher level of joy’
Everyone loves a good Christmas feast – and what’s a festive spread without the classic pigs in blankets?
Now, thanks to TV chef Jamie Oliver, you can take this beloved dish up a notch. Homemade pigs in blankets are always a hit, often outshining their store-bought counterparts.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newbie (seriously, where have you been?), this easy recipe will have you hooked. And guess what? There’s a veggie version too!
Ingredients
- 2kg Maris Piper potatoes (choose the smallest ones)
- Four large sausages
- Optional sausage stuffers: dates, dried cranberries, mustard, chilli, sage, cheese, pickled onions.
- Four rashers of smoked streaky bacon
- Optional: small sprigs of rosemary
- Two cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp polenta
- Four shelled unsalted walnut halves
Method
Start by making a small hole in your sausage using a knife. Then, add a sauce or extra ingredient of your choice. Jamie suggests dates, dried cranberries, mustard, chilli, sage, cheese, and pickled onions for an elevated taste experience.
Start by preheating your oven to 180C. Choose small potatoes, give them a good wash and if you’ve got any larger ones, chop them in half. Then slice just under 1⁄2cm all the way along and repeat with all the potatoes, popping them into a large roasting tray as you go. Drizzle over two tablespoons of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are golden and tender.
Once done, remove and leave to cool. Next up, you’ll want to create a little hole in each of your sausages. Cut your bacon rashers in half and press the side of your knife across each mini rasher to stretch it out. Place a sausage on each, wrap it up, then skewer with a cocktail stick or a sharpened sprig of rosemary. Nestle these wrapped sausages among the cooled potatoes, then cover and pop in the fridge overnight.
Finally, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 190C. Add two cloves of garlic with a small pinch of salt and mix in the polenta and finely grate in the walnuts. Sprinkle this over the potatoes, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Roast the mixed roast for 1 hour, or until hot and crisp, and the sausages are golden and cooked through.
For our veggie friends: Swap the pigs in blankets for halved veggie sausages. Add for just 20 minutes, grating over melty cheese for the last five minutes.
