Bangers & Mash
Fat pork sausages on a mountain of buttery mash, drowned in dark, sticky onion gravy. It is the meal a proper English pub is measured by, and one of the great pleasures of a Tuesday night at home.
Ingredients
8 good-quality pork sausages
1 kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper), peeled
100 g salted butter
100 ml whole milk, warm
3 large brown onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp soft brown sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
500 ml good beef stock
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp English mustard
Method
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a heavy pan. Add the onions and sugar, season, and cook slowly for 25–30 minutes, stirring often, until deeply caramelised and jammy.
- 2
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain very well, then mash with the butter and warm milk until silky. Season generously and keep warm.
- 3
In a separate pan, brown the sausages slowly over a medium heat with a little more oil for 15 minutes, turning often, until deep mahogany all over.
- 4
Sprinkle the flour over the caramelised onions and stir for a minute. Slowly pour in the beef stock, whisking, then bring to a simmer. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard and cook for 5 minutes until thick and glossy.
- 5
Pile mash into shallow bowls, lay the sausages on top and drown in the onion gravy. A curl of buttered greens on the side is compulsory.
Cook's notes
Undercooked onions make watery gravy. Take them properly to a deep, sticky bronze — it is where all the flavour lives.