Bangers and mash with onion gravy is traditional Irish pub fare, and is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Bangers are sausages so named after World War I when sausages tended to have a high water content to compensate for meat shortages.
Because of the high-water content, the sausages would tend to pop or “bang” when exposed to high heat. Today’s sausages typically don’t have this characteristic “bang,” but are still referred to as bangers. Mash is simply mashed potatoes.
Here’s What You’ll Need for This Amazing Dish
- For the Bangers: For the bangers, I used uncooked bangers and unsalted butter.
- For the Mashed Potatoes: For the mashed potatoes, I used russet potatoes, kosher salt, unsalted butter, milk and black pepper.
- For the Onion Gravy: For this amazing onion gravy, I used unsalted butter, sweet onions, Kosher salt, black pepper, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and Bisto. The Bisto is a thickener. As a substitute, I could have used cornstarch.
Here’s How I Made the Bangers
- I started by browning the bangers in a little unsalted butter over medium heat. This took about 5 minutes.
- Next, I added ¼ cup of water to the pan and covered it. I cooked the bangers for around 12 additional minutes until they were done.
Here’s How I Made the Mash (Mashed Potatoes)
- I started by peeling and slicing the potatoes. Then, I cooked them in a saucepan in salted water until they were fork tender. This took around 15 minutes.
- Once the potatoes were done, I drained them well. Then, I returned the potatoes to the saucepan and added butter, milk and freshly ground black pepper.
- Finally, I “mashed” the potatoes with my electric mixer until they were smooth and creamy.
Here’s How I Made the Onion Gravy
- I started by whisking together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and Bisto.
- Then, I added the sliced onions, salt and pepper to a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. After giving the onions a stir, I covered the pan with a paper towel and the pan lid. I cooked the onions for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, I removed the paper towel and pan lid. I continued cooking the onions for another 20 minutes or so until they were nicely caramelized.
- Finally, I added the beef broth mixture to the caramelized onions. I stirred the mixture over medium heat until it thickened and was bubbly.
I served the Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy with some green peas. It was comfort food at its best. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
I was able to find Irish bangers at Fresh Market. However, I’ve also used bratwurst in this recipe.
This is really a trick that I learned years ago. During cooking, the onions give off a lot of moisture. Without the paper towel, the moisture condenses on the inside of the lid and falls back into the pan. The paper towel “traps” that moisture so that the onions will nicely caramelize.
In the past, I’ve used beef broth and chicken broth interchangeably in this recipe.
Bisto is a meat-flavored gravy powder that is used to thicken gravies. If you can’t find Bisto, use cornstarch as a substitute.
If you’re looking for some more ideas for a St. Patrick’s Day fest, check out my 18 Incredible Irish Dishes or 14 Lucky Irish Dishes.
Watch How I Made These Amazing Bangers and Mash
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Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds Irish bangers or bratwurst (See Tip 1)
- 1 ½ pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into slices
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) low-sodium beef broth (See Tip 2)
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Bisto or Cornstarch
Instructions
Bangers
- Brown bangers or bratwurst in 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup water. Cover, reduce heat and cook until done (160°F internal temperature0, around 12 minute4s.hour. Keep warm.
Mashed Potatoes
- Cover potatoes in large saucepan with water. Add ½ tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes to saucepan. Add 4 tablespoons butter, ¼ cup milk, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mash with potato masher or electric mixer. Keep warm.
Onion Gravy
- Whisk together beef broth, Bisto and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Cover with a paper towel and the skillet lid. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove the paper towel and lid. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until nicely caramelized, about 20 additional minutes.
- Add beef broth mixture to caramelized onions. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Correct the seasonings if necessary.
- Serve bangers on mashed potatoes, topped with onion gravy.
- Yield: 3 to 4 servings.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- I’ve used both Irish bangers and store-bought bratwurst in the past in this recipe. Both work equally well.
- May use chicken broth in place of the beef broth.
Where can you buy traditional Irish bangers for this? I love in the Detroit area, and haven’t had any luck!
I bought mine at Fresh Market, but I don’t have a clue as to whether there is a Fresh Market in the Detroit area. When I’m unable to find the Irish bangers, I use bratwurst. It’s not as “authentic”, but it works well in the recipe.
Good luck!
Chula