Ingredients
Bangers & Mash
2 tsp (10ml) Olive Oil
8 High-Quality Pork Sausages
1kg (2.2lb) Kestrel, Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes
100g (3.5oz) Unsalted Butter, Softened
150ml (5fl oz) Full Fat Milk, Warmed
Salt & Pepper
Flat-Leaf Parsley, to Garnish
Onion Gravy
3 Tbsp (42g) Unsalted Butter
2 Brown Onions, Thinly Sliced
1 tsp (4g) Granulated Sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) Red Wine
1–2 Sprigs Rosemary
500ml (2 cups) Beef Stock
2 tsp (10ml) Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp (10g) Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp (15ml) Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp (8g) Cornflour
1 Tbsp (15ml) Cold Water
2 Tbsp (28g) Unsalted Butter, to Finish
Salt & Pepper
Method
The Onion Gravy
1
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and sugar and cook for 30 minutes until deeply caramelised, stirring regularly.
2
Increase heat to medium-high, add red wine and rosemary and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove rosemary.
3
Add balsamic vinegar. Whisk cornflour with cold water then gradually add to the pan, whisking constantly until thickened. Simmer for another 1–2 minutes. Stir in cold butter until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning.
The Sausages
4
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking tray with parchment. Place sausages on the tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes each side until golden brown. Alternatively, cook in a pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes each side.
The Mash
5
Peel the potatoes and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 22–24 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Drain well.
6
Mash using a ricer or masher until smooth. Add warmed milk, butter, salt and white pepper and mix until creamy.
To Serve
7
Spoon a generous bed of mash onto each plate. Place sausages on top and pour over the onion gravy. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley.
Chef's Tips
Start the gravy first — the onions need 30 minutes of unrushed cooking. Everything else fits around that timeframe.
Use a floury potato — Kestrel, Russet or Yukon Gold. Waxy potatoes like Nicola don't break down properly and give you a gluey, starchy mash.
Warm the milk before adding it to the mash — cold milk cools the potatoes down and makes the butter harder to incorporate, leaving you with a less creamy result.
Baking the sausages gives a more even, golden result than pan-frying. For crispy skin with no splitting, oven is the way to go.
The cold butter stirred in at the end of the gravy is a classic finishing technique — it adds richness and gives the gravy a glossy, restaurant-quality sheen.
Storage & Reheating
Store mash and sausages in the fridge for up to 3 days in airtight containers. Store gravy separately.
The onion gravy freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool completely, portion into containers or freezer bags and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat mash in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring until smooth and hot.
Reheat sausages in the oven at 180°C (355°F) for 10 minutes or in an air fryer for 5–6 minutes. Reheat gravy in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, adding a splash of stock or water if it has thickened too much.
