Bangers and Mash

 I rarely make Irish food and I am not sure why but at this time of year, I make my husband some of his favorite dishes and Bangers and Mash are one of them.  The secret to this recipe is quite simple, find good bangers!  I am lucky to have a great local sausage maker and he makes fantastic bangers.  If you can't find them, just use a good breakfast sausage.

Cook them slowly in a heavy skillet, I always use a cast iron one.  I add a touch of oil and sprinkle it with salt and freshly ground pepper which imparts a wonderful flavor to the sausages as they cook.  Cook them slowly or else you might find out how this dish got it's name.  These fat little buggers can explode with a bang!  You might want to pierce them with a fork before you cook them depending on which kind of sausage you use. They will take about 35-45 minutes to cook them this way. Obviously, thinner sausages take less time.
 

Serve them on a bed of rich mashed potatoes.  I boil Yukon Gold potatoes and put them through a ricer and add Irish butter, salt and pepper and whole milk.  Serve them with a side of buttered peas.

What really makes this dish special is the gravy.  Isn't it always the gravy?  Make this onion gravy for the perfect Irish Breakfast:

• 1/2 stick  unsalted butter
• 2 large yellow onions , peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced 
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large sprig fresh sage
• 2 cups strong beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dark balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

 

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and sugar and cook for about 30 minutes until caramelized (deep golden). Add the red wine and herbs, bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the stock, mustard, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove sprigs of herbs. Add the vinegar, whisk in the cornstarch and simmer another minute or two until thickened, whisking continuously. Add the cold butter and whisk until dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste and more mustard if desired.   

“Top o the mornin to ya!”