Bangers and Mash

  

  
Last night, I was at an Irish Bar and had bangers and mash for the first time.  Over the din of the folk singer ("there were green alligators and long neck geese..."), I asked the bar tender what was bangers and mash precisely.  He responded sausage and mashed potatoes with gravy and peas.  I signed up and soon found out why bangers and mash with a couple pints of ale is a treasure.  Sublime in its simpleness, just a few ingredients.  Perhaps reflective of my Midwestern roots where there are more Germans than Irish (can you say Brats from Wisconsin!), I had never had sausage with brown gravy.  There it was instead paired with sauerkraut, or more frequently in a bun with mustard.  The mashed potatoes provide a wonderful starch support, and while the picture above does not show them, peas, a traditional pairing in the gravy, provide a nice textural boost.  My bangers and mash came with 3 sausages and I could not finish them.  They were too rich, and my arteries probably would have burst anyway.  Which makes me think of pairing this with a decidedly new world healthier alternative.  I would suggest a chicken sausage, perhaps with apple inside.  They come in many varieties now and contain half the fat, which is a big deal considering how much we're talking here.  So next time you need some comfort food, try bangers and mash.  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 precooked sausages (beef, pork or chicken)
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup whole milk
salt/pepper
1 tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup frozen peas
     
Directions:
In a medium pot over high heat, add the potatoes and enough cold water to cover by an inch.  Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat if needed to avoid boiling over and boil for 12-15 minutes until fork tender.  While the potatoes are cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a medium fry pan over low heat and add the sausages, rolling periodically to brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.  In a small cup, melt 2 tbsp of butter 60-90 seconds in a microwave.  Add the milk and heat in the microwave a further 60 seconds.  When the potatoes are done, drain, and run through a ricer back into the cooking pot.  Stir in portions of the warmed butter milk mixture and stir briefly until achieving a desired mashed consistency, or if not using a ricer, mash the potatoes to a desired smoothness.  Season with salt and pepper as desired and cover to keep warm.  Melt the remaining butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Whisk in the butter and allow the roux to cook 1 minuted.  Add the beef stock and whisk the roux to mix.  Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken a minute.  Add the peas and simmer a few minutes more to cook them.  Season the gravy with salt and pepper as desired.  Plate the mash potatoes, lay the sausages on top and cover with the gravy and peas.