Bangers and Mash

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This classic bangers and mash recipe is cozy British pub food at its best, featuring golden sausages and creamy mashed potatoes all topped with a rich and savory onion gravy.

Every December, photos pop up on my TimeHop reminding me of the magical Christmas we spent in England many years ago celebrating some dear friends’ wedding. Amongst so many other fun memories, it was the trip where I fell in love with British pub culture — ducking into charming bars to escape the winter chill, cozying up with a pint or warm mugs of mulled wine, savoring some of the country’s famous comfort foods, and soaking in the lively folk music and cheerful pub vibes. It was such a special and delicious trip. And I’ll always remember it was there that I had my first taste of classic bangers and mash. ♡

This simple dish is the epitome of British comfort food — hearty, humble and absolutely packed with flavor. Savory sausages are browned up in a skillet and then served atop a warm bed of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. Then they’re topped with a generous ladle of onion gravy, and usually served with a sprinkling of sweet green peas on the side. It’s one of those simple, straightforward dishes that always ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. And on a cold winter’s day, it’s always guaranteed to warm you up through and through.

There are all sorts of ways that you could customize this dish if you’d like, adding in some extra veggies or seasonings, or making it gluten-free or even vegetarian (with your favorite plant-based sausages). But the classic here is honestly hard to beat, in my opinion. So the next time you’re craving some comfort food, I highly recommend picking up your favorite sausages and giving this one a try!

Bangers and Mash Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the basic ingredients that you will need to make classic bangers and mash:

• Sausages: Juicy, savory sausages are the star of this dish — so choose your favorites! British-style pork sausages are used in traditional bangers and mash, but feel free to use whichever beef, pork, chicken or plant-based sausages that you love best.
• Onions: We’ll thinly slice and sauté lots of onions (you can choose white or yellow) to serve as the savory aromatic base for our gravy.
• Butter and flour: Butter and flour will combine to form a roux to thicken the gravy and make it perfectly creamy and silky.
• Dry white wine: Choose your favorite dry white wine to deglaze the pan and add a hint of acidic, tangy flavor to the gravy. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, you can sub in vegetable stock instead with a splash of vinegar (apple cider, white wine, or sherry vinegars would all work).
• Beef stock: I recommend using a good-quality beef stock to serve as the base broth for the gravy, adding extra layers of savory umami flavors.
• Seasonings: We’ll use a classic combination of garlic powder, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard to add rich savory seasoning to the broth, plus however much fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper is needed.
• Parsley: A final sprinkling of finely-chopped fresh parsley adds a vibrant pop of color and freshness to each bite.
• Mashed potatoes and peas: Finally, I highly recommend the traditional pairing of creamy mashed potatoes and sweet peas for serving. This is my all-time favorite mashed potatoes recipe that never lets me down, but see ideas below if you would like to add in some extra cheese or veggies to the mash as well.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few more fun variations that you’re welcome to try with this classic bangers and mash recipe:

• Add extra veggies. Sauté veggies (such as mushrooms, leeks or bell peppers) in with the onions when making the gravy. You could also mash cooked parsnips, cauliflower or carrots in with the potatoes!
• Use beer in place of wine. Use your favorite beer in place of wine when making the gravy for a deeper flavor that pairs well with the sausages.
• Use sweet potatoes. Use sweet potatoes in place of Russets or Yukon Golds to make a sweet potato mash.
• Make a cheesy mash. Stir lots of freshly-shredded sharp cheddar, Gruyere or Parmesan into the mashed potatoes.
• Make it gluten-free. Thicken the gravy by using a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cold water and cornstarch whisked together and then added to the simmering gravy until thickened to your liking) to make gluten-free bangers and mash.
• Make it vegetarian. To make vegetarian bangers and mash, use your favorite plant-based sausages and swap vegetable broth in place of the beef stock.

More Comfort Food Recipes to Try

Looking for more cozy, hearty comfort food recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites:

• Grandma’s Beef and Noodles
• Swedish Meatballs
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Lemony Chicken Stew
• Ravioli Lasagna

Bangers and Mash

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Ali
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

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Description

This classic bangers and mash recipe is cozy British pub food at its best, featuring golden sausages and creamy mashed potatoes all topped with a rich and savory onion gravy.

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Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 sausages (pork, beef, chicken or plant-based)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium white or yellow onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• finely-chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• mashed potatoes and peas, for serving

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Instructions

1. Prepare mashed potatoes. Make one batch of mashed potatoes.
2. Cook the sausages. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages in an even layer and cook, turning occasionally, until as browned as possible on all sides and cooked through. (Cooking time will depend on the type of sausages. If using a leaner variety of sausages, you may need to add extra oil.) Transfer the sausages to a clean plate and set aside.
3. Begin the gravy. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the sausage grease in the pan and discard the rest. (Or if there is not enough grease remaining, replace that amount with extra butter.) Add 2 additional tablespoons butter along with the onions and sauté for 4 minutes or until mostly softened. Add the flour and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
4. Simmer. Add the white wine and use a wooden spoon to lift up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Gradually stir in the beef stock until combined, then stir in the garlic powder, balsamic and Dijon. Continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes, until the gravy reaches a simmer and thickens. If the gravy seems too thick, feel free to thin with more beef stock. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and/or additional balsamic or Dijon as needed.
5. Serve. Serve the sausages over mashed potatoes with a generous ladle of gravy, along with a side of sweet peas if desired. Enjoy!

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