Bangers and Mash: A Fabulous Gluten-Free Dinner

Bangers and Mash - the delicious gluten-free dinner we think you need to try. It's one of our favorites!

WTF is bangers and mash?

Bangers and mash. Sounds super dirty, right? Probably because of movies like “Get Him to the Greek” – remember when Russell Brand’s character sings a song about his man parts with the lyrics “Will you come for my bangers…my beans and mash?” *wink*wink*

Funny, yes. Appetizing, no.

But as it turns out, in terms of food “bangers and mash” has nothing to do with…ya know.  It's a traditional British Isles pub dish of fried sausage and mashed potatoes.

Why is it called bangers and mash?

It seems self-explanatory but “bangers” are sausages and “mash” is mashed potatoes. According to Wikipedia, the term “bangers” originated because of war rationing, when sausages were made with water. As a result, under high heat, they would explode during cooking if not cooked carefully. Modern sausages don’t do that, but the name stuck (it is kind of fun, I guess).

This bangers and mash recipe:

To reiterate: don’t shy away from bangers and mash the next time you see it on a menu, ‘cuz it’s an amazing hearty dish of porky sausages + buttery mashed potatoes topped with gravy, fried onions, or baked beans. And it’s super delicious. How can you go wrong? Trick question – you can’t.

In this gluten free recipe, we pan-fried our sausages until they were brown/bursting, mashed our potatoes with plenty of butter and salt, and then ate them with caramelized onion gravy on top. Each bite was salty, creamy, pork-y perfection, and we stuffed ourselves silly.  It. Was. Awesome. So go ahead. make it now and make it again for St. Paddy's Day instead of some obligatory green dish.

Bangers and Mash

Tina, Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

How can you go wrong with juicy, porky sausages + buttery mashed potatoes? Trick question – you can’t.

5 from 3 votes

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Course Main Course

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

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Pork Sausages & Onion Gravy

• 4 gluten free pork sausages
• ½ large onion cut into thin slices
• ⅓ cup water
• ⅔ cup gluten free chicken or beef stock
• 1 teaspoon gluten free flour cornstarch, or arrowroot
• 1 teaspoon butter optional
• Olive oil for cooking

Mashed Potatoes

• 2-3 large potatoes peeled and quartered
• 5-6 cups of water
• Milk or cream to preferred (this affects the consistency of your potatoes – I usually go with about ½-⅔ cup skim milk)
• Butter to taste
• Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

 

To make your mashed potatoes:

• Pour your water into a high-sided pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add quartered potatoes and allow them to cook in the boiling water for 20-30 minutes, or until the pieces are fork tender (i.e., the tines of your fork slide in easily with no resistance).
• Drain all but ⅓ cup of water from the pot.
• Using a potato masher (or a fork/spoon), firmly mash your boiled potatoes.
• Stir in milk (or cream) until desired consistency is reached.
• Add butter and salt/pepper to taste (the more the better, I say!)
• Cover and set aside while you cook your sausages.

To make your sausages and gravy:

• Heat about ½ tablespoon olive oil on medium heat until it starts to bubble/sizzles.
• Place sausages in the pan, evenly spaced (make sure they don’t touch).
• Pour ⅓ cup water into the pan, and cover the pan.
• Cook sausages until water evaporates, making sure to flip the sausages at least once to get them nice and browned on each side.
• Once your sausages are cooked, pull them out of the pan and set them side to rest. Keep your stove on!
• Add your sliced onions back to the pan and cook them in your sausage grease. Add butter, if desired.
• Cook onions until they are soft and browned.
• Add your chicken/beef stock and flour (or substitute) to the pan, and let it cook down into a gravy.

To assemble:

• Scoop a big mound of mashed potatoes onto a plate, and create a slight dent in the middle (the gravy crater, if you will).
• Place two sausages on top of the potatoes.
• Spoon gravy generously on top of everything.
• Dig in!

When you've tried this gluten-free bangers and mash recipe, try these other hearty, gluten-free dishes:

Our Favorite Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie also come from the British Isles. They are names for the same dish, only Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb rather than beef. The dish becomes known as “Shepherd’s Pie” when incorporating the lamb, since shepherds raise sheep. Try our favorite gluten-free Shepherd's Pie recipe for a hearty, meal that will stick with you.

Colcannon - Irish Mashed Potatoes

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish. Kale was a staple in the ancestral Irish diet. In the 1600's when potatoes came to Ireland, they too quickly became a staple in Irish gardens. Combining potatoes and kale resulted in a hearty dish that is more filling and is so popular that songs were literally written about it. Try these naturally gluten-free  Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes.

Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Arabic Lamb Stew

Lamb stew with baharat comes from  Middle Eastern cuisine. Baharat is a traditional red-hued seasoning blending paprika, nutmeg, cumin, and cinnamon. While it may vary slightly in ingredients depending on where the spice blend is made, it is ground into a fine powder and used in recipes or sprinkled over finished dishes as a condiment. This recipe for Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Arabic Lamb Stew comes from Sunset Magazine.