Bangers and Mash with Homemade Onion Gravy

The ultimate comfort food is mashed potatoes and gravy. Serving pan-fried bangers with the two is a no-brainer! This hearty, family-friendly meal is easy to prepare and quite delicious. Bangers and Mash with Homemade Onion Gravy might be considered peasant food, but I’d serve this to the fanciest of folks without any hesitation!

St. Patrick’s Day is next month and I’m starting to think about recipes that are traditionally served this time of year. That is why, Dear Reader, today’s recipe is all about the most delicious Bangers and Mash with Homemade Onion Gravy you’ve ever tasted! Bangers and mash is a quintessentially British dish of sausage and mashed potatoes, typically served with onion gravy. Its roots extend to Ireland where you’ll find the dish in many local pubs – especially on St. Patrick’s Day!

It’s such a funny name, isn’t it!? Many recipes with English, Irish, or Scottish roots are like that. There’s Toad in the Hole, which is sausages baked into Yorkshire pudding. And, there’s Bubble and Squeak, which is basically leftover vegetables that are pan-fried in butter. Growing up in Newfoundland, we often had a meal called jiggs dinner. The leftovers were always fried up in butter the next day. The heat from the cast iron skillet and the low burning point of the butter browned the mash which is how the name of the dish came to be.

Who can forget about Rarebit? No, it is not misspelled roasted rabbit. It’s just a fancier version of cheese on toast. The name is said to be something of an English joke, coined in the 18th century when many were so poor they could not even afford cheap meat like rabbits. And, finally, who could forget Spotted Dick!? It sounds crass, but it’s just old-fashioned steamed pudding spotted with dried fruit. The dish made national news in 2009 when someone decided to change the name to something more polite like Spotted Richard.

WHAT IS BANGERS AND MASH?

Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional British dish, consisting of sausages served with mashed potatoes. It may consist of a variety of flavoured sausages made of pork, lamb, or beef. The dish is usually served with onion gravy, but may also include fried onions and peas. I’m serving mine with peas and carrots because the green and orange colours remind me of the Irish flag.

This dish, even when cooked at home, may be thought of as an example of pub grub, meaning it is relatively quick and easy to make in large quantities. It is so good and so family-oriented, that in 2009, the dish was listed as Britain’s most popular comfort food. That’s quite an achievement for the humble sausage and potato recipe.

Although it is sometimes stated that the term bangers has its origins in World War II, the term was actually in use at least as far back as 1919. The term is attributed to the fact that sausages made during World War I, when there were meat shortages, were made with such a high water content that they were liable to pop under high heat when cooked, making a banging sound.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this Bangers and Mash with Homemade Onion Gravy recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil
• Sausages – Use good pork sausages for this recipe. If you choose to use common Italian or other strongly-flavoured sausages, it will affect the end result. Don’t use fat-free or low-fat sausages either, because you need the fat to create a silky, smooth and delicious gravy.
• Onion – I use yellow, white, and sweet onions interchangeably.  Either of them will do just fine.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic whenever possible. Even the pre-minced stuff in the jars is better than garlic powder or granulated garlic in this recipe.
• Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour.
• Broth – You can use chicken, beef, or vegetable broth. Use low sodium though, because most store-bought broth is super salty.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Dark Soy Sauce – This ingredient is not known for adding a lot of flavour, but it does add beautiful, deep colour to the gravy. You can skip it if you don’t have any. Also, you can use other gravy browning sauces instead.
• Thyme – Use fresh thyme leaves for the best results.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Mashed Potatoes
• Peas and Carrots

WHAT SAUSAGE WILL YOU USE?

For this particular dish, I used just plain pork sausages.  You can certainly use any variety of uncooked sausage that you like. There are so many to choose from. Just keep in mind that if you use a strongly flavoured sausage, like Italian or Chorizo, for example, not only will it affect the flavour, it will also affect the ability to make the gravy.  

If you cannot find plain pork sausages, you can use a mildly spiced sausage. There are basically just two things you should look for. First, use a pork sausage rather than a leaner sausage like all-beef, for example. Pork has more grease than beef and you will need that grease to make the gravy. Grease is probably a poor word choice here. But the grease released from the sausages when pan frying, will provide you with the drippings you need for the gravy.

Secondly, don’t be tempted to buy low-fat or fat-free sausages. A lower fat content will mean fewer pan drippings, which means you won’t have the right amount of drippings or grease to make the gravy. A bratwurst would work nicely too! Any type of fat sausage that has a good percentage of fat-to-meat ratio. You need the fattiness to flavour the dish. Get more sausage ideas here.

MASHED POTATOES

The ingredients listed above and the recipe card below will state that you need mashed potatoes. The recipe card does not actually tell you how to make mashed potatoes, because, in this particular instance, the recipe focuses solely on preparing the sausages and the gravy. I’m going to assume that most of us have a mashed potato recipe at home already.

In the instance that you do not have a mashed potato recipe, I have several that you can choose from. The first mashed potato recipe that I would recommend is my Irish Colconnan. It’s a mashed potato that is prepared with leeks, onions, and cabbage. It’s super flavourful and would be perfect if you’re preparing this Bangers and Mash with Homemade Onion Gravy on St. Patrick’s Day!

Next, I have this Herb Butter Mashed Potato recipe. It’s loaded with fresh herbs like thyme and summer savoury. It’s fresh and buttery and delicious!! I also have what I consider to be a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes. My Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower is made with low-fat cream cheese and it’s super delicious and creamy.

HOW TO MAKE BANGERS AND MASH WITH HOMEMADE ONION GRAVY

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and sausages. Cook the sausages, browning on all sides, according to the package instructions. This will usually take about 10 minutes per side for a total of 20 minutes. Remove the cooked sausages from the skillet, place them on a plate and set aside.

Add the onions to the hot skillet and cook for 10 minutes until they are soft and lightly browned. Add the minced garlic. Stir into the onions and cook for 2 minutes more. Next, add the flour. Stir it into the onion and garlic mixture until you can no longer see any of the flour.

Pour in the vegetable broth and use a whisk to incorporate the broth into the onions and garlic. Whisking will also scrape off any brown bits in the skillet, which will add flavour to the gravy.

Season with Worcestershire sauce, add colour with dark soy sauce and add in the fresh thyme leaves, salt, and ground black pepper. Continue to whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Reduce heat to simmer.

Add the sausages back to the skillet and coat them in the gravy. Simmer for 3-4 minutes to fully reheat the sausages. Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed green peas with carrots.

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

For this Bangers and Mash with Homemade Onion Gravy recipe, I am using four farmer’s sausages from Ottawa Valley Meats. Like all of their products, their sausages are sourced from local farms dedicated to naturally raising heritage pork in a free-range environment — the pork is forest-finished for an undeniably enhanced flavour. Their pork is completely antibiotic and hormone-free. It’s also gluten-free! They work with farms that only produce the cleanest, healthiest, and ethically-raised local meats. All meat is Federally or Provincially Inspected according to Canadian Food Inspection standards.

If you are in Ontario, be sure to look into Ottawa Valley Meats to see if they deliver to your area. They offer seafood, poultry, and beef too. And, they deliver right to your door! I have had other suppliers deliver meat and seafood, but Ottawa Valley Meats were the best! It comes in a freezer-refrigerated truck, which means the box doesn’t need to be stuffed with ice packs or dry ice. And, the food doesn’t need to be packaged into those silver cooler bags. Do you know what that means for me? Less waste!

FROZEN VEGGIES MAKE AN AFFORDABLE AND EASY SIDE DISH

In most cases, I use frozen vegetables in many of my recipes. There are two reasons for that. In most cases, it’s cheaper. And secondly, I live in Canada where fresh, local vegetables are not always available because of our long, cold winters. In addition to that, I don’t live in a large town or city where I can easily run to the store to pick up fresh vegetables on the day I plan to use them. Sure, we have a small grocery store close by, but we usually drive into town every second week for groceries. Buying frozen vegetables is easier because making fresh veggies last two weeks is impossible.

Would I prefer fresh vegetables? Yes, of course! But, as I said, fresh is not always available where I live, so frozen is the next best thing. Frozen vegetables can come in handy at any moment, whether you need an extra side dish or want to incorporate it into a dish you are already cooking. There are many ways to heat and cook frozen veggies, but I prefer steaming or frying. Roasting them does not usually work well because they have too much moisture.

Nearly all of the frozen vegetables you buy from the grocery store are just like fresh. It is harvested at its peak and from there, it goes into a quick boil to wash it and kill any enzymes or bacteria. Next, it is drained and packaged into bags immediately. From there it is flash-frozen and remains in a frozen state until it reaches your home.

In most cases, frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh when comparing volume. When all is said and done, I’m one of those food bloggers that have no problem with telling you to take the easy way out!