Bangers and Mash

In honor of our recent trip to London, I decided to make a traditional British meal. I went to my favorite store on Saturday, Whole Foods, and got all of my ingredients. I spent 2 hours in the store looking at everything. Yes... I am obsessed.

I got the Bangers and Mash Recipe from the Williams Sonoma site. I have a cookbook from London with a great recipe, but wasn't inspired until I reached Whole Foods so I used my iPhone to find a recipe.

Ingredients:
2 lb. good-quality bangers or pork sausages
1 Tbs. sunflower oil [I used Safflower Oil as a replacement]

For the mash:
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs. unsalted butter

For the gravy:
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 red onions, halved and finely sliced
1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 cup full-bodied red wine, such as Shiraz
1 cup chicken or beef stock [I used Pacific Foods chicken stock]
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Place the sausages in a roasting pan, drizzle with the sunflower oil and toss to coat. Spread the sausages out in a single layer and bake, turning them after 15 minutes, until evenly colored, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the mash: Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Place in a saucepan with water to cover, salt the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain, cover with a kitchen towel and let stand until dry, about 5 minutes. In the same pan over medium-high heat, combine the milk and butter and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside. Pass the potatoes through a ricer or place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the hot milk mixture and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. [I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer as a replacement for a ricer/masher with great results]

To make the gravy, in a wide, shallow nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are meltingly soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until lightly colored, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and cook until evaporated. Stir in the red wine and stock, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer until a rich sauce forms, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the sausages and mash among individual plates. Spoon some of the gravy on top and serve immediately. Pass the remaining gravy at the table. Serves 4.




I served Mushy Peas alongside the Bangers. I adapted a UK recipe the best i could using Fresh English Peas. The peas were good, but not great. I am still searching for an authentic recipe. Any help would be greatly appreciated.