Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy Recipe
A classic dish in Great Britain, bangers and mash is a fabulous cold weather comfort food. Made with bratwurst and sausages, mashed potatoes, and a rich onion gravy it’s a restaurant worthy home cooked dinner.
Bangers and mash is such a warm and comforting dish to eat on a cold winter’s day, it’s no wonder that it is so popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland! I thought it was a great pick for a dinner and a movie night for the movie Brave.
Mashed potatoes and gravy are always something to look forward to and to pair that with some good quality bangers, or sausages just pushes it over the top. If you aren’t sure if your kids will like bangers you might be surprised. My kids are huge fans of bratwurst now and shout for joy when we have them.
Keep the theme going and serve this Slow Cooker Vanilla Custard Bread Pudding for dessert!
Bangers and mash comes together quite quickly especially when you make your mashed potatoes in the instant pot or have them already made in the slow cooker.
I like to make a double batch of mashed potatoes so I can use the leftovers for cottage pie later in the week. Work smarter, not harder!
Ingredients you need:
- bratwurst or sausages
- mashed potatoes
For the gravy:
- onions
- beef stock
- Guinness beer (if desired)
- sugar (if using beer)
- flour
- water
- mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
What are bangers?
Bangers are traditionally made with beef, lamb, or pork and they are similar in size to an American hot dog. They are not sweet like breakfast sausages are but are savory with a high meat content and not a lot of filler.
What kind of sausages work for bangers and mash?
Since there are so few components to this dish, I’ve found that stronger flavored sausage links work best. Our personal favorites are bratwursts from Aldi, especially because I can find them all year round.
The brand to look for at Aldi is Deutsche Küche Bavarian or Beer Bratwurst. They are fully cooked so all you are looking to do is brown and reheat.
If you do not have an Aldi, my second choice is to buy the Johnsonville Original or Beer Brats. They are nowhere near the awesome flavor of the one’s from Aldi but they are more widely available. They also are raw so they do need to be cooked which will take more time.
How to make this
- In a large skillet, brown bratwurst on two sides, if fully cooked, or cook them according to package directions if uncooked.
- Remove bratwurst from pan, set aside, and keep warm.
- Using same pan, add 2 Tbsp olive oil and sliced onions and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently until onions have softened and begun to caramelize, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add beef stock and beer if using. Allow the liquids to cook at a high simmer for about 10 minutes. This will allow the liquids to reduce.
- In a small bowl, combine cold water and flour to make a thin paste. Stirring the whole time, slowly add the flour mixture to the onion and stock in the pan.
- Cook until the gravy begins to thicken, about 3-4 minutes. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar (if using beer), salt and pepper.
- Serve over prepared mash potatoes and bratwurst.
We like to serve this with soda bread and honey carrots or green beans.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Potatoes
- Root Beer Beef Stew
- Grilled Smoked Sausages and Potatoes
- Pan Fried Fish and Chips
Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 bratwurst or sausages
- 8 cups mashed potatoes
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown bratwurst on two sides, if fully cooked, or cook them according to package directions if uncooked. If browning, this should take about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove bratwurst from pan, set aside, and keep warm.
- Using same pan, add 2 Tbsp olive oil and sliced onions and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently until onions have softened and begun to caramelize, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add beef stock and beer if using. Allow the liquids to cook at a high simmer for about 10 minutes. This will allow the liquids to reduce.
- In a small bowl, combine cold water and flour to make a thin paste. Stirring the whole time, slowly add the flour mixture to the onion and stock in the pan.
- Cook until the gravy begins to thicken, about 3-4 minutes. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar (if using beer), salt and pepper.
- Serve over prepared mash potatoes and bratwurst.
I randomly stumbled upon this recipe and had most all of the ingredients. Man was it AWESOME! Everyone in my house enjoyed it. I served with roasted asparagus too. Substituted beef broth for stock, miller lite for Guinness (lame, I know) and I did not add the sugar. Will def make this again!
Aw, thank you so much Juliet for your sweet review!
I have always heard of this dish on movies so I had to try. Yum!! My family loved it! Thanks we will be making this over and over!
This was a great change from corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day this year!
I’m a huge bangers and mash fan! Love that you have Guinness in the gravy!! YUM!
I have never tried this. But I do love the movie. I will have to go watch it again. Great job on the dish.