Meatball lasagne

1. Remove the sausage meat from the casings. To make the pastry, place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingertips or use a food processor until it’s the consistency of breadcrumbs. Mix in the cream cheese. Bring together to form a ball, wrap in clingwrap and chill for an hour or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Beat the egg and water together. Unwrap the pastry and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut in half horizontally.
3. Spoon half the sausage meat down the middle of each piece, shaping it neatly into a long sausage. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then bring it over the sausage meat and seal using a fork. Cut into pieces about 8 cm long. Cut out stars from the pastry scraps.
4. Brush the top with egg, top with the star cut-outs and brush with egg again. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve with the blatjang.
5. To make the blatjang, place all the ingredients except the sugar into a pan and gently simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and simmer until thick. Cool and spoon into a jar. Cover and chill.
Chef Tip: Use pork, chicken or lamb sausages if you prefer. The blatjang makes a great gift, so triple the batch.
Find more starter ideas for your festive table here.
Photographer: Jan Ras
Production: Abigail Donnelly
Food Assistant: Bianca Strydom and Marcelle De Wet