Bangers and mash isn’t something that I ever really ate growing up. Before I started working in pubs when I was 19, I had never really seen bangers and mash other than on tv. Honestly, even after I had seen the dish in real life, I wasn’t impressed.
Then one day when I was about 27, I was visiting my grandmother in BC. She took me out to lunch to this upscale neighbourhood pub by her apartment. For whatever reason, I decided to order the bangers and mash. The potatoes were creamy and smooth. The vegetables were tender but not mushy. The gravy was rich and flavourful. And, the sausages were perfect. Not to fatty, a lot of flavour. Clearly, high quality.
This dish has stuck with me since that lunch with my grandmother. Although I don’t eat it often, I do think about it a lot.
Fitting with the 30 minutes or less theme, this version of the dish is made in just under 30 minutes. It is served with a mushroom and red wine gravy that the sausages are simmered in after being seared. Other than that, it is potatoes and carrots.
For the sausage, a Cumberland sausage is traditionally used in the original British Bangers and Mash. It can be hard to come by so I just used bratwurst. Worst case scenario, use mild Italian sausage. It will still taste really good.
One final thing, you don’t have to add red wine to the gravy. You can use white wine, brandy, whisky, beer, or no alcohol at all. If you don’t want to use alcohol, just add the stock in two additions.
Okay, let’s get into it.
This is…
Bangers and Mash in 30 Minutes Or Less
6:55 pm
The first thing I did at 6:55 was start preheating the frying pan for the sausages over medium heat. Because I was using a cast iron pan it took a few minutes to heat. If you are using stainless steel, or if you have a more efficient stove, it might not take as long.
I also peeled and prepped the potatoes right away and got them cooking.
7:00 pm
At 7:00 the pan for the sausages was hot and so in they go. The potatoes were on the stove on high. It was now time to get the carrots prepped and going.
I peeled them, cut them into stick, covered them with salted water and put them on a burner on high. That’s it.
7:03 pm
By 7:03 the carrots were on. The sausages were browned on one side and ready to be flipped.
Now, it was mushrooms time. For this I used cremini or brown mushrooms as they are sometimes sold. First, I made sure there was no dirt on them and then thinly sliced them.
I should say that just about any kind of mushroom will do here. I use creminis because I like the taste and texture. If you want to use button or portotbello or oyster mushrooms, knock yourself out.
7:06 PM
Three minutes after the sausages were flipped, I took them out of the pan. They aren’t cooked at this point. We will finish them in the sauce, which we now have to make.
Sausages out, mushrooms and a teaspoon or two of butter go in. The mushrooms are cooked just long enough so that they all get that wet look that mushrooms get. Then I added about a 1/4 cup of red wine and 2 sprigs of thyme.
The key here is to let the wine cook (reduce) until it has almost completely evaporated. This will take a minute or two. This has two purposes, it concentrates the flavour making it stronger, and the alcohol gets cooked off.
Once the wine is cooked down, a 1/2 cup of beef stock goes in the pan, is brought to a boil and then the sausages go back in. A lid is put on the pan, the heat is turn down to medium low. The sausages are left to simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes.
7:13 pm
By 7:13 the carrots were cooked, drained and seasoned with salt and pepper. I put them back on the burner, with the heat turned off, to keep them warm.
7:16 PM
Three minutes later the potatoes were done. I drained them. While they were draining I heated up the cream and butter and then used a food mill to mill the potatoes into the hot cream and butter.
Using a food mill guarantees smooth potatoes. It also makes the process very easy. If you don’t have a food mill, most people don’t, just mash the potatoes like you normally would.
Always remember to heat your butter and cream, or milk if you prefer, before adding it to your potatoes, or your potatoes to it. If you use cold milk and butter, you are going to reduce the temperature of the potatoes causing them to go cold very quickly.
And of course, season them with salt and pepper.
7:21 pm
By 7:21 the sausages were cooked and came out of the pan. I also took out the thyme sprigs. I turned the heat up and added about 2 tablespoons of whipping cream. DO NOT USE HALF AND HALF OR BLEND HERE. You really need the full fat whipping cream or it will split when it hits the heat of the sauce.
Once the cream and sauce started to boil and was reduced I removed it from the heat and whisked in 1-2 tsp of Dijon mustard.
While the sauce was finishing I started plating dinner. Potatoes down first, carrots next, followed by sausage, and finally, the mushroom gravy.
7:24 pm
By 7:24 dinner was plated and pictures were taken. One minute to spare.
This is not a complex dish although you wouldn’t know it to taste it. The mushroom gravy adds a big punch of flavour from the red wine, the stock, and because it carries the flavour of the sausages themselves.
If I came to your house for dinner and you served me this, I may never leave.
For those of you out there that don’t like mushrooms, onions can be used instead. Follow the same procedure.
Thank you so much for reading, and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments of this post or on social media.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Bratwurst or Cumberland Sausage
- 5 med. Russet Potatoes
- 5-6 ea Cremini Mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 cup Whipping Cream
- 2 lg Carrots
- 1/4 cup Red Wine
- 1/2 cup Beef or Chicken Stock
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 sprigs Thyme
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat.
- While the skillet is heating peel, dice, and rinse the potatoes. Put them in a medium pot and cover them with hot, salted water. Put them on a burner on high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Then drain well, season with hot butter and cream, and salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.
- Add the sausages to the pan. Brown on each side. This should take 2-3 minutes per side.
- While the sausages are browning, peel the carrots and cut them into evenly sized carrot sticks. Put them in a pot and cover them with hot salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, then drain and season with butter, salt and pepper.
- Once the sausages are browned on both sides remove them from the pan. Drain any excess oil out of the pan and add 1-2 tsp of butter along with the sliced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for two minutes and then add the red wine. Reduce the red wine until it is almost completely evaporated and then add the beef stock. Bring that to a boil, add the sausages back into the pan along with the thyme sprigs. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer the sausages for 10 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan once again, add 2-3 tbsp of cream and bring back to a boil. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, remove the thyme and whisk in the mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the sausages.
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