Don’t forget the simple stuff – Bangers, Mash & Red Onion Gravy

One of my favourite dinners as a kid was bangers & mash. Some good ol’ succulent Irish sausages served on a mound of smooth buttery mashed potato with a moat of gravy around the edges and a side of tinned peas.

In our haste and panic to get a dinner on the table we can quite often forget about the simple stuff – bangers & mash, shepherds pie, fish pie, pork chops, bacon & cabbage etc.– all super tasty food that will have you licking the plate and looking for more.

Growing up in my house the gravy would have been ‘Bisto’ and onions which was delicious but in my own house I opt for a red onion gravy instead. It’s deliciously tangy yet sweet as there’s both balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in there giving it that moreish quality.

Good meaty butcher sausages are the order of the day and you can usually choose from a variety in the supermarket too. My local favourite sausage is ‘The Cork Boi’ made by O’Flynn’s gourmet sausages here in Cork – they’re flavoured with Murphy’s Irish Stout and are deliciously meaty.

The recipe here is from my first book ‘Gimme the Recipe’ :
Serves 4.

Bangers & Mash with Red Onion Gravy
You will need:
8-10 large potatoes
2 medium red onions
2 tbsp olive oil
8 butcher style sausages
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
500ml beef stock
50g unsalted butter for mashing
Splash of milk for mashing
Plus side of vegetables – your choice!

Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut to uniform size then place in a saucepan and cover with boiling water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (a knife will push easily into the centre of a potato.)
While the potatoes are cooking, peel and chop the onions in half and then into thin slices.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saucepan over a low heat and add the onions. Leave to soften with the lid on for 15 minutes.Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the sausages.
Prick the sausages on all sides with a fork so they don’t burst their skins and add to the pan.
Turn the sausages occasionally until brown on all sides.
When the onions have softened, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and turn the heat up to allow it to bubble and begin to evaporate for 2 minutes.
Add the stock to the onions, bring it to the boil then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.When the potatoes are cooked, drain off the water and mash well with the butter and enough milk to make a creamy consistency.
Serve this with some easy to cook vegetables like cabbage or broccoli.

Tip: Oomph up your mashed potatoes by adding some cream cheese and wholegrain mustard if you like it.

Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila