English Bangers and Mash Recipe

Home cooking cannot taste better. English bangers and mash, with perhaps the best onion gravy in the world and mustard mashed potatoes, make this dish the number one comfort food!

Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in February 2015. It was updated in April of 2020 with new photos and great recipe tips.

When this top-of-the-line red wine and onion sauce combines with the mustard mashed potatoes and ends up with a piece of sausage in your mouth, you have to smile with happiness. Simple food can be so delicious. You'll love it!

English Bangers and Mash

Bangers and mash with onion sauce are the British working class' favorite. The dish is inexpensive and tastes good. How can you go wrong with meat and potatoes, am I right? It's the ultimate soul food, British style.

What are Bangers?

Bangers are a quintessential British sausage, usually served with onion gravy and peas, but often enjoyed with other vegetables like broccoli.

1. WHAT KIND OF SAUSAGE SHOULD I USE?

English Cumberland and Irish Banger is a good quality pork sausage, but if they are unavailable, use any mild pork sausage (brats) in their place (which is what I used this time). 

2. WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THIS ENGLISH DISH?

Its name "banger" (commonly used in Britain), originated sometime during the WW1 because sausages were made with such a high water content that when cooked, they would pop with a loud bang. 

3. WHAT KIND OF POTATOES IS BEST FOR MASHING?

It's best to choose higher starch potatoes (like Russet or Yukon gold) for the smoothest and most flavor-packed mash. Red or white varieties, or waxy potatoes, require more mashing to become creamy, which usually leads to the dreaded "gummy" potatoes.

How to make mustard mashed potatoes?

1. Put peeled and diced potatoes) in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes and mash with butter, dijon mustard, and milk. 

TIPS FOR BEST MASHED POTATOES:

1. Always add hot milk to the potatoes. It incorporates easier, and it keeps the mash warm.
2. You can run your potatoes through the ricer before adding milk and butter, to eliminate lumps.
3. If you're not a fan of mustard in your mash, omit and add sour cream as in this mashed potato recipe.

How to make English bangers in onion gravy?

*Keep scrolling to get the full (printable) recipe, ingredient amounts, and more tips.

1. Brown the sausages: Add bangers to hot oil and cook on all sides until cooked through and brown; remove to a plate and keep warm.

2. Make the onion gravy: Add the onions to the pan and sauté until soft. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. 

3. Stir in flour, beef bouillon, wine, basil, parsley, and rosemary. Cook until the wine has reduced to a glaze.

4. Assemble: Return the sausages to the pan; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe Notes/Expert Tips:

• Sausage - You can use any fresh sausage you like, such as beef or chicken. Keep in mind that lean ones offer less flavor. 
• Onion - Yellow and white onions are the best to use for flavor intensity. Red onions taste too mild when cooked.
• Beef bouillon - You can use chicken if that's all you have. 
• Wine - Dry wine, such as Merlot, is best for this recipe. If you don't cook with alcohol, replace wine with beef stock or broth. 
• Depending on the size of your potatoes, you might need to add more milk. 

If you like this English dish, you'll love Bubble and Squeak, another British classic with a funny name. 

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