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.

(Post modified with new photos on 3/2/24.)

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.

Here in SE Kansas I am unable to find Irish Sausages, so I always use Bratwurst for this recipe. In comparison, Bratwurst are very similar in taste to Irish Sausages, although probably a bit more spicy. 

I love the addition of onions in this recipe, but if you are not a fan, you may dice them into smaller pieces or omit them altogether. However, I hope you will not do that, as I think they are quite delicious in this dish.

As per the title, this dish pairs wonderfully with mashed potatoes. Use your favorite mashed potato recipe, or my recipe for Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes, or even Colcannon, which is an Irish Mashed Potato that also includes cabbage, onions, and bacon.

 

More Irish Recipes

• Harvest Grains Reuben Sandwich
• Cottage Skillet Pie with Stout
• Slow-Cooked Corned Beef with Cabbage
• Kielbasa Potato Skillet Dinner

 

Ingredients for Irish Bangers and Mash

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

• 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 his stash and bring me a beer. The last time I did this, he gave me a bottle of 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.

If you can find Irish sausages, please use them in this recipe. Where I live, it’s often difficult to find them, so I will usually use Bratwurst instead. Plain or Beer Bratwurst works well. These sausages usually come in packages of 5, so you will need 2 packages for this recipe. 

 

Prepare the 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. See my Recipe for Irish Mashed Potatoes Here.

 

Cook the Sausage Bangers

Meanwhile, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large sauté 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. If you’re unable to fit all 10 sausages in your pan, repeat with the remaining “bangers”. 

 

Prepare the Onion Sauce

Add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the butter to the pan. Sauté 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 colorful side dish such as small early peas or mixed vegetables. This recipe will serve 4-6 people.

See more Main Dishes Here. Browse Irish Recipes Here. 

 

 

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