Bangers and Garlic Mash with Onion pan sauce

Bangers and Mash is a traditional British dish that consists of pan fried sausages served over top of creamy mashed potatoes. It's said that the dish received it's name due to the popping noise the casing of the sausages would make and how some of the sausages would burst open when they hit the hot pan. Serving the sausage over a flavorful and generous helping of mashed potatoes is key for me. I flavor my potatoes with chicken stock and garlic to bring extra flavor and excitement to this British pub staple. Quick and easy to prepare, Bangers and Mash is a great last minute dinner for a chilly winters night.


About 2 pounds of Red Skin Potatoes
5 cloves of Garlic
1 pint of heavy cream
6 tablespoons of butter (divided)
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
2 cups of chicken stock
1 large Onion
1-1/2 pounds of linked Sausage
Fresh Scallions or Parsley

Preheat oven to 350

Rinse of your potatoes in cold water and carefully use a pairing knife or a vegetable peeler to remove any bad spots. You can peel the potatoes if you prefer but I like using red skin potatoes for my mashed because of their deliciously tender skins. Cut the potatoes into evenly sized pieces and place them into a large pot.

Peel and crush the garlic and add to the pot with the potatoes. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock over the potatoes and garlic, season with a generous amount of salt, and add cold water to the pot until the potatoes are covered. Place the pot of potatoes onto your stove top over medium heat and bring to a boil. The potatoes are done when they are fork tender.

Peel and slice the onion into thick slices. In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Saute the onion until it's just beginning to turn golden brown and tender. Add the sausage to the pan and brown on all sides cooking for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep the sausages warm in the oven and leave the onions in the pan.

Drain the potatoes and place them back into the pot and add 4 tablespoons of butter and a pint of heavy cream. I know some of my more health conscious readers cringe at adding both butter and heavy cream. You can use something lighter than heavy cream but for me it's the only way to get really creamy mashed potatoes. Using a hand masher or electric mixer, mash the potatoes until they reach your desired texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and for freshness add some chopped parsley or scallions.

For a quick onion sauce, pour 1 cup of chicken stock into the hot pan to deglaze and scrap up all the flavor bits on the bottom. Off the heat, whisk the final 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan to create the sauce. Be sure to add the butter off the heat or else the sauce won't come together.

To serve, load a generous helping of mashed potatoes onto your plate. Slice the sausage on an angle and place over top of the mashed potatoes and add a scoop of the onion sauce. Serve hot.