The delicious gluten-free dinner we think you need to try? Bangers and Mash. It's one of our favorites!
Guys. I had so many plans for my St. Paddy’s day posts. I was going to make soda bread, Irish apple cake with a creamy whiskey sauce, potatoes, and lots of gratuitously green things. I had these things all planned at weeks ago, so that I’d have everything ready to go in time for the big day.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans…
…they get destroyed by intense bouts of blogger burnout and writers’ block compounded by crappy photos that no amount of Photoshop can fix.
Wait, is that not the saying?
Just kidding! You know what I mean, though. The struggle is real, you guys. Which is why, on the day before St. Paddy’s day, I have only ONE recipe to share with you (vs. fifty million, as planned). It’s a good one though! [G-Free Foodie: same problem, which is why this article and recipe is being posted after St Patrick's day - but we didn't want you to miss out!]
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. “Bangers” = sausages, and “mash” is…pretty self explanatory (mashed potatoes). Throw some gravy, fried onions, or baked beans on top, and you’ve got yourself a traditional British Isles pub dish.
Fun fact: according to Wikipedia, the term “bangers” originated because sausages used to be made with water (because of war rationing) and would explode under high heat if not cooked carefully. Modern sausages don’t do that, but the name stuck (it is kind of fun, I guess).
So to reiterate: don’t shy away from bangers and mash the next time you see it on a menu, ‘cuz it’s just sausages and mashed potatoes with some gravy/onions/beans on top. And it’s super delicious. How can you go wrong with juicy, porky sausages + buttery mashed potatoes? Trick question – you can’t.
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.
Happy St. Paddy’s Day, everyone!
Bangers and Mash
Ingredients
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!
Article courtesy of Tina, Just Putzing Around the Kitchen
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