Slices of bread slathered with drippings, sausages paired with mashed potatoes—these dishes embody the essence of British culture and evoke memories of wartime austerity. Throughout and following World War II, folks often saved the remaining fat from a beef joint (a rare treat for many due to shortages) along with whatever bacon grease was available. They’d reuse this precious fat either to fry additional ingredients or smear it onto sparse pieces of typically dry wartime bread.
My mother, with her Yorkshire roots, served up drippings from our Sunday beef roasts well into the '60s. It was common for me to enjoy beef dripping on my sandwiches at lunchtime while most of the other children opted for peanut butter or apricot jam. But honestly, I didn’t mind one bit.
The pork banger traces its roots, or more precisely the source of its name, back to what we now refer to as World War I; however, during that era, it was known as the Great War.
Do you recall how certain bacon makers would inject extra water into their products just to stretch them further (thus increasing profits)? Similarly, unethical poultry farmers might do this with entire chickens, something many people who've had UK supermarket chickens can attest to. In days past, over a century back during the aftermath of that ruinous conflict, pork sausages faced a similar issue. Due to limited availability of meat, they were often bulked up with additional water. Once cooked, this practice led to bursting casings—a situation colloquially referred to as "bangers."
This leads me to discussing these pork sausages. We've all experienced our pork sausages bursting in the frying pan. Nobody wants their pork sausages to explode, so how can we prevent this? Below are some suggestions:
- Avoid piercing the sausage skin with sticks or pins.
- Don’t overstuff the sausage…
- However, ensure there aren't any air pockets as well.
- Don’t use a fork to flip them (one would think that’s obvious, yet many still do.)
- Using two wooden spoons is a practical method for flipping them over.
- Frequently move the pan to prevent the food from adhering to the bottom, since remaining stationary over excessive heat might lead to rupturing of the skin.
- Cook the pork sausages over a gentle flame until they're thoroughly done right through to the middle, flipping them cautiously along the way. Using metal tongs might pierce their skin too.
- Choose a high-quality sausage crafted by an experienced professional. It shouldn’t be overly watery, yet it does require some moisture; thus, heed the guidance from seasoned pros like Mike Crewe-Brown, where I will share more details come Friday.
- Start with fridge-cold sausages.
- A particular viewpoint suggests baking sausages in an oven set between 150°C and 175°C for about 20 to 25 minutes. Although I haven’t tested this method myself, it seems logical due to its gentleness. It’s important to place them on an oiled tray with sides to collect the dripping fats (perfect for making your children’s sandwich fillings at school).
- Instead, you can steam them above boiling water, then make sure they're completely dried off and allow them to cool down before slowly browning them in a greased pan until they reach a beautiful gold color. This method is one I frequently use.
Alternatively, follow my approach for cooking pork sausages: use an air fryer and shake the basket energetically every three or four minutes. This process takes roughly 15 minutes total. That’s for the sausages of course — clearly, you cannot prepare mashed potatoes or onion gravy in an air fryer.
However, the key to an excellent bangers and mash isn't just about having top-notch pork sausages. The dish also calls for light and velvety mashed potatoes, complemented perfectly with a generous serving of classic British onion gravy.
Each person has their own approach to achieving the ideal mashed potatoes. I opt for simplicity and focus solely on enhancing them with plenty of butter. Milk doesn’t find its way into my mash anymore—I’ve moved away from using it after years of including it, and now I enjoy my mashed potatoes au lait more this way.
For me, the trick lies in cooking the potatoes until they're completely tender, swiftly draining them, and shaking them about in the heated pan for a short time to remove extra moisture. Afterward, mash them two times: start with your usual masher, followed by using a sturdy fork while tilting the pan at a 45-degree angle and vigorously stirring to break down every last lump. It just requires some effort initially, topped off with an additional stir.
Once the mash is still warm, I add a substantial quantity of butter using the same fork, followed by seasoning generously with salt and white pepper. For each medium-sized potato, I suggest adding at least one rounded tablespoon of butter, perhaps even a little extra for good measure. In my opinion, milk can make them less airy. Additionally, I am uncertain whether cream truly enhances their light texture and flavor; instead, it merely gives them a rich consistency... wouldn’t you rather have them fluffy? Besides, they already contain plenty of calories without it.
However, this is not a guide for preparing the sausages themselves (you'll learn more about that on Friday), but rather for cooking them alongside mashed potatoes and onion gravy.
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
4 high-quality pork sausages (sure, make it 6)
2 tablespoons of butter to grease the pan before frying the sausages in
3 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
Salt for cooking the potatoes
4 heaping tablespoons of butter for the mashed potatoes
Season with salt and pepper according to your preference, for the potatoes.
For the onion gravy:
(Prepares enough for 4 portions)
1 extra-large onion or 2 medium-sized onions, cut into round slices
2 generous Tbsp butter
1 tsp sugar
Newly plucked thyme leaves directly off their branches (a minimum of 4 or 5 sprigs)
800 ml beef stock
1 tablespoon of warm English mustard
80 ml port
Add salt and black pepper according to your preference.
1 rounded teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with milk, ensuring all clumps disappear
Method
Place the skinned and cut-in-half potatoes into a large pot filled with cold water and add ample salt. Let it come to a boil and continue cooking till they become soft. Once done, drain them thoroughly before putting them back into the same pot; shake gently over heat to evaporate excess moisture. Crush them completely, mix in generous amounts of butter, and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. This can be set aside temporarily and reheated swiftly by constant stirring once all other components are prepared.
Prepare the sausages as you normally do, ensuring you excel at it without going overboard. I suggest cooking them slowly with low heat, flipping occasionally and keeping in mind the advice provided earlier.
When using an air fryer, start by preheating it to 180°C. Lightly coat your ingredients with cooking oil spray, then place them inside and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Make sure to shake the pan regularly to ensure they flip over and achieve even browning.
In the meantime, gently caramelize the chopped onions in butter over a very low flame for about 30 minutes, adding sugar and thyme leaves, until they turn a light brown and become richly flavored with caramel notes. Rushing this process by reducing the time or increasing the heat will result in less developed flavors.
Stir in the beef stock, port, and mustard; they will dissolve swiftly. Let it simmer gently until the gravy becomes thicker and its flavors become more pronounced. Add salt and pepper according to your preference, then mix in the cornstarch. Continue stirring as it continues to thicken over approximately three minutes. Check the flavor and add more seasonings if needed.
Place a heap of mashed potatoes on the plate and gently nestle two or three sausages on top. Feel free to add plenty of onion gravy over everything. DM
Tony Jackman has won the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award twice, in 2021 and 2023.
Order Tony’s book, foodSTUFF, here .
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The photo of this dish is taken on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics .