Irish bangers and mash with caramelized onion gravy is soul warming comfort food at it’s best. Serve with crusty bread and peas.
I’ve waited a long time to make this.
After several years of corned beef and cabbage, these last few years I’ve been broadening my horizons on St. Patrick’s Day dinner. One year I made my favorite Irish Stout Stew, then last year I made the Dublin Coddle and this year I was lucky enough to land some Irish sausages- so in 2016, I’m bringing you bangers and mash and gravy (and peas!).
Time and time again, I’ve expressed my love for the butcher that’s in my favorite market that I go to. In fact it’s probably getting old to hear but they literally have everything (including the best bacon ever) and I’m there quite a bit because it’s a food lovers dream.
A few weeks ago, Pat and I stopped in to grab some bacon and things for breakfast. I always peek my head into the meet freezer section by the butcher, to scope out what they have going on there. This is where they keep house made meatballs, sausages and ground bison etc. Low and behold I found Irish Banger sausages. I have neverrrrr seen those in there before! So I threw a couple packages, potatoes and threw an huge onion into my cart and bee-lined to the check out girl.
Bangers and mash was so happening.
There’s only a few days left until St. Patrick’s Day, what’s on your menu? Nosy minds want to know (that’s me 😉 )!
You’ll need 2 pounds or 8 links of Irish Banger sausages. (This is where I have uncertainty about what needs to be capitals.)
Heat a large, 12-inch cast iron (or oven safe skillet) with a teaspoon of bacon fat on medium to medium-high heat.
Add in the sausages, turning every so often until browned on all sides. Transfer the pan to your preheated 350 degree oven and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
Allow the sausages to cool for a smidgen before slicing in half. Keep the sausage halves in a dish covered tightly with foil.
Now let’s move on to the potatoes and onion caramelizing.
Peel the potatoes. I haphazardly get the job done because 1) I don’t like peeling… anything. And 2) because I like the rustic look that leaving a little skin on gives the mash.
And also slice up a large yellow onion.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Cover, bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high, crack the lid and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork.
Reduce the heat to low, drain the potatoes and pour in a 1/2 cup of milk and 4 tablespoons of butter. Cover and let the potatoes steep in the milk and butter for 5 minutes.
Bust out the potato masher and get to work. Feel the burn.
Next add in 1/4 cup of creme fraiche, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (sound crazy- but it’s super good), 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk- depending on how thick or think you like your spuds.
Fold those in and continue to mash or don’t. It’s really up to you!
Add it to the pan with the sausage drippings. Turn to coat in the fat (yum!) and cook on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often until tender and caramelized.
Scoot the caramelized onions off to the side and add in the minced garlic… about a clove or two.
Sprinkle with 2-1/2 tablespoons of flour…
Stir and let the flour cook for 2 to 3 minutes…
…before add in the red wine.
Stir until reduced and absorbed by the flour mixture…
Continue to stir while slowly pouring in the beef broth/stock.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the sausages back in to the gravy…
Add smother them with it.
Finally, serve the bangers on top of the creme fraiche mashed potatoes and next to cutie-pie peas. I swear, every time I make peas (which is basically never or with beef stroganoff) I tell myself I should make them more often, and then 3 more years goes by.
This is cozy comfort piled high on luxurious, pillowy mounds of potatoes and smothered in a blanket of caramelized onion gravy. It’s heaven.
All that’s needed is crusty bread to mop up everything and an ice-cold Killians to wash it down.
Enjoy! And if you give this Irish Bangers and Mash recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Irish Bangers and Mash with Caramelized Onion Gravy
Ingredients
THE MASH:
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, roughly peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 stick, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
THE BANGERS:
- 2 pounds Irish banger sausages, pork sausage
- 1 heaping teaspoon bacon fat, or butter
THE ONION GRAVY:
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry red wine, like Malbec or merlot
- 2 cups beef broth, or stock
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the bacon fat to a 12-inch cast iron skillet and heat on medium to medium-high. Brown the sausages on all sides before sliding the pan into your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the sausages to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting in half. Transfer the sausages to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water. Cover and bring to a boil, once at a boil cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Reduce the heat to low. Using the lid to the pot, drain the potatoes and add in 1/2 cup of milk and 6 tablespoons of butter. Cover and let the potatoes cook in the milk and butter for 5 minutes. Remove the pot off of the heat and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add in the creme fraiche, mustard, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk. Mash until desired consistency. Cover and keep warm on low heat.Meanwhile, heat the drippings in the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, stir to coat and continue to cook until caramelized. About 30 minutes.
- Scoot the onions off to the side and add the minced garlic. Cook for one minute before stirring it into the onions. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes before pouring in the wine. Once the wine has reduce and has been absorbed by the flour, stir while pouring in the beef broth/stock. Bring the gravy up to a bubble and simmer until thickened.
- Season the gravy with salt and pepper and add in the sausages and heat through.
- Serve the bangers on the mashed potatoes with spoonfuls of the caramelized onion gravy over top. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, more black pepper and next to buttered peas and a hunk of crusty bread.
- Enjoy!
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Laurie – can you share your favorite butcher? I’m dying to find those Irish Banger sausages!!
Rachel are you in Michigan? I go to Snooks in Milford.
This makes sausage and mash loookk GOOODDDDD!!!!
i made this delicious meal a few nights ago and now am working on a large pot of the gravy to serve this at my restaurant tomorrow. I was having a difficult time finding Irish sausage so I actually decided to use… Bratwurst! I am in Wisconsin so we love this stuff. Im pretty excited about it. Creme fraiche and Dijon seem to be key in all the mashed for bangers I’ve seen. I think it would go well with lots of other things too. Thanks for another terrific recipe.
That’s really awesome, Holly! I’m honored! And that’s good to know that Bratwurst can be substituted, Irish Sausages aren’t always easy to find. <3
I wish I had had this on Saint Patrick’s Day! Yum!
You can use whatever sausage tastes good to you. Unused a local homes sausage and it turned out really good.
Such a delicious recipe! I found Irish Brand Bangers at Whole Foods. My daughter loves bangers and mash so I couldn’t wait until St. Patrick’s Day to make this recipe again (she’s eating leftovers for lunch at school today!).
I’m so glad, Lori! Thank you for making this recipe and for your amazing review!