Bangers and Mash

My next post was going to be smoked salmon pate.  Then I went to Trader Joe's and found "Irish Bangers" in the spot where the salmon usually is.  Obviously, my dinner plans changed.  How could I not buy them?  (And yes, I do realize it's a bit weird that I freaked out a little over sausages.  In public.  In front of all the Trader Joe's hippies.)  So instead of salmon pate, which will probably be coming later, I'm making a very simple British dish with a vaguely dirty sounding name.

Many Americans reading this may well be wondering "what, exactly, are 'bangers and mash'?" right about now.  "And why would I want to eat them?" is also probably a pertinent question.  As you have probably gathered from the above photo, "bangers" is a weird British term for sausages.  Specifically, savory pork sausages similar to bratwurst.  Why?  Because they "bang," or pop, when heated too quickly.  Also, the English are a wee bit crazy.  Mash, of course, is short for mashed potatoes.

This dish seems to have originated in England (though this is unclear), but is now common throughout Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.  We certainly see the first references to this dish as a pub favourite in Britain during World War I, but it seems likely that this dish has existed since the eighteenth or nineteenth century, when Britain adopted the potato to feed its growing industrial working class (see A Brief History of the Potato for more information).  Regardless, it has long been a pub staple in Britain and Ireland because it's relatively cheap and easy to prepare in large quantities.  It's also filling and absolutely delicious with a pint of your favourite ale, stout, or porter, which makes it a good alternative to corned beef and cabbage for your upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebrations, possible English origin or no.  It could, after all, have originated in Ireland, where the potato was a dietary staple much earlier, and been brought to Britain by immigrants during the industrial revolution.

 There are three components to this recipe: sausages, mashed potatoes, and onion gravy.  I generally start the potatoes and sausages at the same time, and make the gravy last, so the directions are listed accordingly.  If you want to make the gravy while everything else is cooking, you can make it in a separate pan.  I'm just too lazy to wash the extra dishes.

Ingredients:

• 6 pork sausages

For the mash:

• 5 medium red potatoes
• 1 stick butter
• Approx. 3 tbs milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the onion gravy:

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 14 oz can beef broth
• 1 tbs corn starch

Directions:

Start the mash first.  Clean the potatoes, removing any eyes and peeling if desired (I usually leave the skins on about half, since it contains a lot of the potato's nutrients).  1/4 to 1/2 inch slice the potatoes and place them in a large stock pot.  Fill with cold water so that the potatoes are just covered and boil for approximately 25 minutes, until they break easily when poked with a fork or spatula.  Drain, and return to the pot.  Add butter and mash until smooth.  While mashing, add milk as desired and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, start the sausages.  Simply place them in a medium to large frying pan on medium heat and prick with a fork to prevent "banging".  Turn the sausages occasionally.  When they begin to turn golden brown, remove from heat, allow them to cool slightly, and split them in half legnthwise with a sharp knife.  Return to pan, cut side down, and continue frying until browned and cooked all the way through.  Set aside.

While your sausages are cooking, prep your gravy.  Chop the onion fine and assemble and measure the other ingredients.  Once the sausages are done, remove them from the pan, but leave any juices.  Melt the butter, and then add the onion.  Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent, but not browned.  Salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that you can always add more later, then add the broth.  Turn up the heat and bring the broth to a boil.  Once the volume is slightly reduced, add the corn starch ad continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes.  Taste, season as desired, and pour a generous amount over each serving of potatoes and sausages.



A brief note on sausages: Traditionally, bangers are savory pork sausages not unlike bratwurst.  This can mean any of several regional sausages (such as Cumberland sausage) made in Britain, and not easily available in the US.  My local Trader Joe's had Irish-style bangers for St Patrick's day, but doesn't carry them year-round.  Some specialty food stores might have British sausages all year, especially on the east coast.  However, if you don't live in an area where these are easy to find, you can just as easily substitute any high-quality pork sausage.  I usually use bratwurst because it's not too strongly flavoured (spicy Italian sausage, for example, wouldn't go with the onion gravy.)