Traditional British Bangers Recipes

ULTIMATE BANGERS AND MASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make the onion gravy in advance. See our recipe for the BEST onion gravy.
• To Make the Mash: Place the potatoes in a pot of water and add the salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until they potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife. Be careful not to over-boil them. Thoroughly drain the potatoes and place them back in the empty pot set over very low heat just to maintain warmth. If using a ricer or food mill (this creates the most optimal texture), run the potatoes through it now while they're hot. If using a hand masher mash the potatoes while they're hot. (Avoid using an electric mixer or food processor. See blog post for explanation.) Mash the potatoes until fluffy and you've reached the desired degree of smoothness. Be careful not to over-mash or the potatoes will become gluey. Use a spoon to stir in the butter. Once melted stir in the hot milk gradually, allowing time for the potatoes to absorb the liquid after each addition. Add more hot milk as needed to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To Prepare the Sausages: While the potatoes are boiling place the sausages in a baking dish with a little oil and roast the sausages for about 10 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. (Alternatively you can fry the sausages but baking them creates an especially nice crispy outer shell with a juicy interior.) For sausage-making enthusiasts we highly recommend our Homemade British Bangers.
• To serve, place a mound of mashed potatoes on each plate, lay the sausages on the mashed potatoes and top with onion gravy. Peas are a traditional side.

HOMEMADE BRITISH BANGERS

Steps:

• Combine the pork, fat and crushed ice in a bowl and then, working quickly, use a meat grinder to grind the mixture through a medium die. Put the mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes and then grind again through a small die. (Preferably grind the meat mixture into a bowl set atop an ice bath to keep the meat cold.) Note: It is imperative that the meat be at a constant cold temperature so that the fat doesn't get too soft. You should be able to see clear definition between the lean meat the specks of fat in the ground mixture.
• Place ground meat in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add all remaining ingredients except for the hog casings. Mix the meat mixture with the paddle for 3-4 minutes until threads begin to appear in the meat: If you take a clump of meat and pull it apart with your fingers you will see tiny threads pulling apart. When you see this your meat is ready. *If the meat mixture is too dry and stiff, add a little more ice water. You want a soft/smooth mixture that will easily go into the casings.*This is also the time to taste your sausage mixture so you can adjust the seasonings if needed. To do this, take a bit of the meat mixture, fry it up in a pan, taste it and adjust the seasonings if needed.Place the meat mixture back in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the casings.
• Thread your sausage stuffer with the prepared hog casings, fill the sausage stuffer with the meat mixture, and stuff the casings being careful to avoid air gaps while also being careful to not over-stuff the casings.Twist the sausages into links. Use a sausage pricker to prick any air bubbles out of the links.For best results chill the sausages overnight. This will give the flavors time to develop. Makes about 20 6-inch links.
• To cook, gently poach the bangers in lightly salted water and then fry, grill, or bake them. Once poached they will keep in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to a week. (See note for freezing instructions.)

TRADITIONAL BRITISH BANGERS

Steps:

• Knead together the pork, veal, fat, and bread.
• Stir the salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, mace, thyme, marjoram, sage, onion powder and lemon peel into the egg, and then knead into the meat mixture.
• CHEF'S NOTE: At this point, I fry a small sausage patty and taste it so that I can adjust the seasonings, because the recipe so far is fairly mild.
• Firmly stuff the mixture into the prepared hog (sausage) casings.
• Prick any air pockets with a pin.
• Poach, broil, grill, or fry them before serving.
• Serve the bangers, drowned in nice thick onion and mushroom gravy, with a heap of mashed potatoes.
• The raw sausages can be refrigerated for 3 days, cooked sausages for 1 week.
• They can also be frozen (raw, poached, or broiled) for 3 months.

TRADITIONAL HOMEMADE ENGLISH OXFORD SAUSAGES - OXFORD BANGERS!

Steps:

• Mince or very finely chop the pork and veal. Put the minced meat in a large mixing bowl and add the suet, breadcrumbs, lemon rind, nutmeg and herbs. Mix together and season to taste. Add the lightly beaten egg to the mixture and mix well with a fork until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and bound together.
• With floured hands, form the mixture into sausage shapes. Coat each sausage in flour, shaking off any excess.
• Cook the sausages under a hot grill, turning frequently, until evenly browned and cooked through.
• Serve the sausages with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable as a main meal, or with grilled bacon and tomatoes for breakfast.

BANGERS AND MASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and mash with 1 teaspoon of butter, and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. Continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until heated through. Remove from pan, and set aside. Add remaining teaspoon of butter to the skillet, and fry the onions over medium heat until tender. Mix gravy mix and water as directed on the package, and add to the skillet with the onions. Simmer, stirring constantly, to form a thick gravy.
• Pour half of the gravy into a square casserole dish so that is coats the bottom. Place sausages in a layer over the gravy (you can butterfly the sausages if you wish). Pour remaining gravy over them, then top with mashed potatoes.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until potatoes are evenly brown.