Bangers and mash
Photo: Qwerty Binary · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

The bangers-and-mash name came from World War One British troops, when sausages with high water content tended to burst (bang) in the pan. The pairing of pork sausage and mashed potato is older, with London piesmiths and butchers selling versions on Fleet Street and Whitechapel from the 1800s. Gastropubs revived the dish from 1990 onwards: The Eagle on Farringdon Road, Mark Hix at the now-closed Le Caprice, and S&M Cafe (1992) made it a kitchen-led plate. The modern London version uses Cumberland, Toulouse or Lincolnshire pork sausages, finished with a deep onion gravy.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 20 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 6 Cumberland pork sausages (about 500g)
  • 800g floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled, quartered
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 100ml whole milk, warmed
  • 2 large brown onions, halved and finely sliced
  • 30g butter for the onions
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 300ml beef or chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp English mustard
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Boil potatoes in salted water 18 to 22 minutes until very tender. Drain.
  2. While potatoes cook, brown sausages in a heavy frying pan over medium heat, 15 to 18 minutes, turning, until deeply coloured.
  3. In a second pan melt 30g butter, add onions with a pinch of salt. Cook 20 minutes over medium-low, stirring, until soft and deep gold.
  4. Stir flour into the onions, cook 1 minute. Pour in stock, Worcestershire and mustard. Simmer 5 minutes until thickened.
  5. Pass potatoes through a ricer or mash. Beat in butter and warm milk. Season.
  6. Pile mash, lay sausages on top, ladle onion gravy over.

Tip from the editors. Cumberland sausage is the orthodox choice. Brown the sausages slowly to render fat into the pan; pour that fat into the onions for proper savour.

Where to eat bangers and mash

Bangers and mash in London

The Eagle ★ 4.3

££ GastropubClerkenwell

Britain's first gastropub on Farringdon Road in Clerkenwell London, opened 1991 by Mike Belben and David Eyre, still serves Mediterranean-leaning.

OrderThe Bife Ana steak sandwich, on the menu since 1991, and a pint of bitter.

TipWalk-in only. The chalkboard menu rewrites every day at 12:00; the best dishes go by 14:00 on a busy lunch.

Directions

Quality Chop House ★ 4.3

£££ Modern BritishClerkenwell

The 1869 Farringdon Road working-class dining room in Clerkenwell London, restored under Will Lander since 2012, runs daily-changing British cooking.

OrderThe famed confit potato, then mince and potatoes off the daily menu, with a bottle from the shop next door.

TipThe wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.

Directions Book

The Camberwell Arms ★ 4.7

££ GastropubPeckham

Mike Davies's gastropub on Camberwell Church Street in south London, opened 2014, runs a daily-changing seasonal menu and a famous family-style Sunday roast.

OrderSunday roast for four (booked in advance), or whatever whole-animal cut is on weeknight dinner.

TipSunday lunch books a fortnight ahead and serves until they run out. The bar room takes walk-ins all evening.

Directions Book

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