Irish Bangers and Mash
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Irish Bangers and Mash is a delicious dish to make, just in time for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Or whenever you’re desiring an easy comfort food dinner. Savory sausage with a brown onion and Guinness gravy served over your favorite mashed potatoes. Or even with Irish Colcannon, which is simply a mixture of mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage. Plus I put in some onion and bacon, too. It’s a sure winner for a cold night.
(Recipe modified with new photos on 3/2/22.)
This recipe actually originates in England, but the Irish enjoy it as well. Just as do Americans. It gets its name from the “bang” made when the sausages sizzle and burst from their casings when heated. And indeed, it does make a banging noise, which is why you’ll want to put a lid on the pan while the sausages cook.
Ingredients Needed to Make Irish Bangers and Mash
- extra-virgin olive oil
- Bratwurst sausages or Irish Sausages
- butter
- large sweet onion
- garlic cloves
- all-purpose flour
- beef stock
- Guinness Draught Beer
- Your favorite Mashed Potatoes or Colcannon
A Note about Guinness Beer
I’ve made this recipe many times, and usually I’ll have my husband hunt through this stash and bring me a beer. The last time I did this, he gave me a Guinness Extra Stout. I didn’t think anything about it, but I surely did when we tasted the dish. It was bitter. My husband casually laughed and said, yeah, it’s a bitter beer. A quick search online confirmed the number one bitterness problem on using Extra Stout due to it’s bitter flavor. So my lesson for today: Do not use Extra Stout. Go with Guinness Draught.
Instructions for Making this Recipe
Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Prepare your ingredients. Using a cutting board and Chef’s knife, slice the onion. Mince the garlic.
Begin preparing the mashed potatoes, following recipe directions. See my recipe for Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes Here.
As mentioned above, you may also serve this dish with the Irish version of mashed potatoes, Colcannon, which is simply potatoes and cabbage. Watch for this recipe soon!
Meanwhile, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add bratwurst sausages and place lid on skillet.
Irish Bangers are so named because of the “banging” noise they make when they are cooking. For this reason, you’ll want to use a lidded skillet, and be sure to cover the sausages with a lid while they cook. Listen for the “bang.” It’s kind of cool.
Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until sausages reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Remove sausages and cover with foil to keep warm.
Where I live, it’s often difficult to find Irish sausages, so I will usually use Bratwurst instead. If you can find Irish sausages, please use them.
Prepare the Onion Sauce
Add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the butter to the pan. Saute the sliced onions and minced garlic until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the all-purpose flour to make a roux. Add half of the beef stock and all of the Guinness Draught Beer, stirring until combined.
Cook over low heat, stirring every few minutes until the gravy thickens. Add the remaining stock and continue to cook until gravy thickens to desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked sausages to the gravy. Cover to keep warm until the mashed potatoes are finished as directed by their recipe.
Serve sausages and gravy over mashed potatoes and with a green vegetable such as small early peas. This recipe will serve 4-6 people.
See more Main Dishes Here. Browse Irish Recipes Here.
Irish Bangers and Mash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 10 each bratwurst sausages or Irish Sausages
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large sweet onion thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup Guinness beer Draught - Do not use Extra Stout
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Mashed Potatoes See Recipe Here.
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Using a cutting board and Chef's knife, slice the onion. Mince the garlic.
- Begin preparing the mashed potatoes, as directed by their recipe.
Cook the Sausages
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add bratwurst sausages and place lid on skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until sausages reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Remove sausages and cover with foil to keep warm.
Prepare the Onion Sauce
- Add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and butter to the pan and saute the sliced onion and minced garlic, until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the all-purpose flour to make a roux. Add half of the beef stock and the beer, stirring until combined. Cook over low heat, stirring every few minutes until the gravy thickens. Add the remaining stock and continue to cook until gravy thickens to desired consistency.
- Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add cooked sausages to the gravy. Cover to keep warm until the mashed potatoes are finished as directed by their recipe.
- Serve sausages and gravy over mashed potatoes. Serves 4-6.
Notes
Nutrition
