Lamb, Harissa and Almond Sausage Roll

In this sassy twist on a classic sausage roll, the Australian chef Paul Allam of Bourke Street Bakery riffs on North African flavors to create something fragrant, rich and generously spiced. Harissa pastes can vary widely in heat content; Mr. Allam uses a moderately hot homemade paste in his recipe. If your harissa is especially potent, consider using half the amount called for here. —Melissa Clark

Ingredients

• ¼

  cup whole blanched almonds

• 1

  tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1

  small yellow, red or white onion, diced

• ⅓

  cup diced roasted red peppers (from a jar, or roasted over the flames of a gas stove)

• 1

  tablespoon harissa paste

• 1 ½

  teaspoon kosher salt

• 1

  pound ground lamb (or beef, dark meat turkey or plant-based meat)

• ¼

  cup uncooked couscous

• ⅓

  cup currants

• ½

  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1

  (14- to 16-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold

• 1

  egg, beaten, for egg wash

• Poppy seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place almonds on baking sheet and roast until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Pour almonds onto a cutting board to cool slightly. (Reserve baking sheet and parchment.) Coarsely chop almonds and place in large mixing bowl. Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add roasted red peppers, harissa and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to the bowl with the almonds and let cool.
4. Add ground lamb, couscous, currants, pepper and the remaining salt to almonds. Using your hands, mix thoroughly until well combined.
5. Roll the chilled puff pastry dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut pastry into 4 equal rectangles. In the center of each pastry, dollop a quarter of the lamb mixture, then form it into a long sausage running lengthwise on the pastry strip. Lightly brush one long edge of the pastry with egg wash. Starting with the side without the egg wash, firmly fold the pastry over the meat filling to form long rolls, pinching to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet, seam-sides down.
6. Lightly brush the top of each roll with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds, if using. Bake until sausage rolls are golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.