What to do with MINCED LAMB?

This SPICY LAMB ROLL recipe is a take on a sausage roll, but it's much more than that. Turn a snack into a main meal without spending a fortune or investing a lot of time.
For a first attempt, the results were memorable and we couldn't get over just how soft and tender the lamb was.
We served with a quick and easy spicy coleslaw (recipe to follow).
Testing the spice level was most enjoyable: take a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture and lightly fry. Everyone's tastebuds differ, so adjust the spiciness to suit. Although we both agreed on the portion of spice (as per the recipe below), we could have been a little more adventurous and added more. Once the lamb roll had cooled down, the spiciness was less obvious.
The recipe can be adapted to make lots of small sausage rolls, and we're sure your guests will love them.
Making the pastry was easy enough using a small hand blender/chopper. It made light work of the old fashioned 'rubbing in' process; leaving behind sticky fingers with the finished breadcrumb texture visible in just seconds.
Here's the recipe:

SPICY LAMB ROLL

Ingredients

Serves 3-4

500g of lamb and mint sausages (with a high meat content) or 
450g good quality minced lamb plus 50g white breadcrumbs (see note)

20g sultanas

4-5 diced shallots (or use one medium diced onion)

1 1/2 teaspoons of Harissa powder (we like it spicy)

salt/pepper

oil

one small egg

for the pastry

140g plain flour

35g butter

35g lard

pinch salt

water

**

Remove the skins from the sausages. Put the meat into a bowl and chop with a knife to loosen (try not to knead as this will overwork the meat and give a dense texture).

Note: if using minced lamb rather than sausages, season well and mix together with 50g of white breadcrumbs. You may like to add a teaspoon of dried mint too. 

Put the sultanas into a bowl and cover with warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and add to the lamb. 

Put a small amount of oil into a saucepan and heat through. Add the shallots (or onions) and cover with a lid. Cook on a low heat until soft but not brown. 

Add the shallots/onions to the lamb. 

Add the Harissa powder to the lamb. 

Combine the ingredients with a knife. Form the meat into a large sausage shape - about 50ml in diameter. 

Heat the oven to 220ºC.

Place all the pastry ingredients into a food processor and blend until it resembles breadcrumbs (about 10-15 seconds). 

Tip the pastry mixture into a bowl and gradually add cold water, cutting and drawing the mixture together as you go. 

Rest the pastry for at least half an hour in the fridge, then roll out.

Put the lamb onto the pastry and roll up. Trim ends - keep them open slightly making sure the seam of the sausage roll is placed on the bottom. 

Beat the egg and brush over the pastry.

Place onto a baking tray and put into a very hot oven (220ºC) for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180ºC for 35-45 minutes (depending on the diameter of the lamb). 

Allow to rest for a few minutes (if you can) before slicing.
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