Sunday, April 13, 2014

Slater's Classic Bangers and Mash


We're celebrating Classic British fare over at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week so I cooked up a batch of Bangers and Mash.  The term "bangers" derives from a time when sausages were made with more water and had a tendency to explode if not cooked carefully.  Nigel has a few cook's tricks I've shared below to keep your sausages from splitting or exploding. 

My family loves a classic sausage and potato dish and this dish was well loved by all.  The flavor of the onion gravy marries perfectly with the sausages and mashed potatoes.  I'm also a fan of adding a little mustard to the sausages for a little more flavor.  A delicious and quick meal that the whole family enjoyed!




Classic Bangers and Mash
Recipe adapted via The Guardian
by Nigel Slater
Serves 4


Lightly brown a couple of decent butcher's sausages per person in a little fat or oil in a heavy pan (I prefer cast iron). Push them to one side and cook a peeled and quartered onion for each person, broken into layers, on the other side of the pan. Keep the pieces of onion quite large. Once they are deep gold and caramelized, sprinkle over a generous dusting of flour and allow to brown very lightly. Pour in about 125ml of rich stock per person, bring to the boil, season, then simmer for 20 minutes. To make the mash, boil the potatoes (I used medium potato per person) in lightly salted water or steam them till tender enough to mash. Use a thick slice of butter per person (I also added a couple tablespoons of mascarpone cheese), and beat till light and fluffy. Serve with the sausages and onion gravy.

Cook's Trick: Cooking sausages slowly will stop them splitting and allow a good, sticky coat to develop on their skins. Once the sausages are nicely browned you can let them finish cooking in the gravy. After crushing the potatoes with a potato masher, beat them again with a wooden spoon to incorporate some air and make them light and fluffy. Keep the onions in large pieces and let them cook slowly, allowing their edges to caramelise before adding the flour.

For a little Twist: Stir a little grain or smooth Dijon mustard into the sauce. Use Madeira or dry Marsala in place of some of the stock. Add a couple of sage leaves to the sauce. Mushrooms, quartered and fried off in a little butter and stirred into the gravy, would be something to consider, as would a little grated horseradish root.



Theme: Fit For A Brit!

10 comments:

  1. I always wondered why sausages were called bangers!
    Nice choice for this week's theme, Kim. Your plate looks fantastic--a tasty, comforting meal. And easy enough for a weeknight. I'd have a hard time choosing from the list of "twists" and would have to try them all!

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  2. Love bangers and mash! I saw a you tube vid in which one guy made an onion gravy to go over top the whole mess! Looked awesome to me! Your looks like great Sunday supper!

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  3. Looks delicious! Bangers and mash were a popular choice this week at IHCC....I really must make one of Nigel's variations soon.

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  4. I would have guessed you added mustard! I'm thinking this would all be great all packaged up into a sandwich!

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  5. Yummy yum yum!!! Your bangers and mash is calling out to me!! I'm hungry already :)

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  6. What a great meal--homey and comforting. I am wanting a big scoop of those fluffy mashed potatoes with the onion gravy right now. ;-)

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  7. Wow, delicious meal, one that my family would most definitely enjoy!
    Lovely!

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  8. Yum, yum, yum. Bangers and mash is one of my favourite comfort food dinners. When I was growing up it probably graced our dinner table once a week, complete with the onion gravy. Nowadays, I tend to opt for just a simple brown gravy without the onions, but I love the idea of using mushrooms instead, and adding a bit of mustard and splash of Marsala. Love that you added some mascarpone to the mash as well - sensational.

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  9. Just goes to show you how TV playing in the background can imprint your brain...When I read "Slater's Bangers and Mash" I immediately thought of Slater from the teen show "Saved by the Bell" that our daughter and older son used to watch 15 years or so ago.

    I really like your idea of marsala, that dry fruity flavor is so mouthwatering to me, almost like it ties together sweet with a hint of umami.

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