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Bangers and Mash with Stout Onion Gravy is a traditional quick and easy dinner made from sausages, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and a savory gravy loaded with onions.
This recipe originated from the British Isles and can be made with any kind of sausage. The Irish Stout adds intense flavor to the sausage and the gravy.
Why this recipe works:
The stout onion gravy take this meal over the top and is what ties everything together. Guinness was my stout beer of choice and the onions really added to the flavor of the gravy.
You don’t need to worry about the alcohol because it all gets cooked away, so this is a recipe that anyone can enjoy.
The sausages are crisp on the outside. The mashed potatoes are full of flavor and thick enough to hold the gravy. Make this recipe extra Irish by cooking up Colcannon.
I love making this recipe for St. Patrick’s Day, but it makes an outstanding dinner any time of year.
How to make it:
This is a three part recipe: sausages, gravy, mashed potatoes.
- Because the recipe starts with raw sausages, you have to ensure they get cooked through. I used a saute pan with a lid. I like to give them a good sear on the outside, but the lid helps steam the sausages and cook them all the way through.
- By adding Irish stout to the pan and then covering it, the stout evaporates into steam. This not only helps cook the sausage, but it infuses that intense dark flavor into the meat and makes it more tender.
- To cook the gravy, you’ll brown sliced onions in butter. Adding a little flour and allowing that to cook will help thicken it. Deglaze with more stout beer and then add beef broth.
- The mashed potatoes are made by boiling peeled potatoes. Once they’re soft, you’ll mash them with butter and buttermilk.
Cooking tips:
- Sometimes it’s easier to find sausages that are pre-cooked. You can use these as well. Just ensure they get heated through.
- You can use any kind of beer. Stout tastes great with the onions, but a nice wheat ale would also work.
- The less frequently you stir the onions, the better they will brown.
What does bangers and mash mean?
Bangers means sausage. Mash means mashed potatoes.
You might be wondering what vegetable goes well with bangers and mash? Peas. When in doubt, always throw on some peas. Especially if you have mashed potatoes and gravy for them to stick to.
Why is it called a banger?
I found an interesting article that discusses the origins of some popular foods.
I’ve known sausages have been referred to as bangers because they pop when they cook. Now, we all know that a good sausage or hot dog will split when it’s cooked, but does it really pop?
The article states that “The sausage, one of the oldest types of processed food in history, can be traced back to ancient times. British pork sausages have been mass produced since the 19th century.
After the outbreak of World War I, food shortages led to a dramatic reduction of meat, of any sort, in sausages.
Instead, producers packed them out with scraps, cereal and water, which caused them to pop and hiss when cooked on shovels over open fires in the trenches of northern Europe — hence ‘bangers’.”
Bangers and mash: English or Irish?
The answer is both.
It’s typical “Pub Grub” you might find anywhere in the British Isles including Great Britain and Ireland. It’s a relatively easy dinner to make either for a family or in large quantity if serving a crowd.
If you want to make this meal specifically Irish, use an Irish stout like Guinness to cook the sausage and gravy like I did for this recipe.
If you want to make this meal specifically British, just serve plain sausage with flavorless mashed potatoes. I kid! I kid! Well, sort of.
Love recipes using stout beer?
You wouldn’t believe that I actually don’t enjoy drinking stout beer based on the number of recipes I’ve made using stout beer, but it is outstanding in both savory and sweet recipes!
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Irish Cheddar Stout Bread
- Irish Stew
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Guinness Chocolate Sauce
- Guinness Chocolate Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!
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Equipment
Ingredients
bangers:
- 1 pound sausage uncooked bratwurst recommended
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 ounces stout beer I used Guinness
mashed potatoes:
- 3-4 russet potatoes peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
stout onion gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium sized onion sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup stout beer I used Guinness
- 1 cup beef broth
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
sausages:
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 pound sausage and 3 ounces stout beer. Cover with lid and crack just to allow enough steam to escape. Cook covered for about 10 minutes, turning half way through.
- After they've cooked for 10 minutes, remove lid and allow the liquid to reduce a bit and coat the sausages. When the liquid is almost gone, lower heat to medium low and continue cooking with the lid on, rotating occasionally, until evenly browned and cooked through, about another 10 minutes.
gravy:
- In a separate pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Add sliced 1 medium sized onion and cook until slightly brown and fragrant, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour and allow to cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup stout beer and scrape bottom of pan to deglaze. Add 1 cup beef broth and allow to simmer until no longer foamy, 10-15 minutes.
potatoes:
- In large pot cover 3-4 russet potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Cook until soft. Drain and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Mash to your preferred consistency.
- To serve, top potatoes with sausage(s) and top with as much gravy as your heart desires.
Notes
Cooking tips:
- Sometimes it’s easier to find sausages that are pre-cooked. You can use these as well. Just ensure they get heated through.
- You can use any kind of beer. Stout tastes great with the onions, but a nice wheat ale would also work.
- The less frequently you stir the onions, the better they will brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated with information and cooking tips. Don’t worry – I would never change the recipe!
Loved it great flavor ty
Delicious
I love this recipe. Came out delicious!
I tried this recipe tonight in honor of St Patrick’s Day. A day late but no worries. It was definitely a hit. Will try a less potent beer next time though. Bangers are hard to find in Colorado. What other sausages did others use?
It was an amazing dinner! I give it 2 thumbs up! My hubby loved it. I will most definitely make this again many times!
Followed the recipe exactly and it came out AMAZING!! Even my pickier adults loved it. Definitely a “make again” recipe.
We thought the gravy had a bitter aftertaste. Not sure I would make it with Guiness the next time. I would have added some brown sugar but didn’t have any, so ended up adding a small amount of maple syrup, but it didn’t really change the taste that much. I suspect the gravy is supposed to taste slightly bitter. Regardless, once we got it on the mashed potatoes we didn’t really notice the bitter taste that much. I served it over some leftover flank steak and have to say it added a whole new dimension! Not for the faint hearted though! Will make again with a different kind of beer.
Made this instead of my usual Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day. Used fully cooked Jalapeno Chicken sausage, and made a few small changes based on ingredients I had on hand (cream instead of buttermilk, a small amount of the boiled potato water in place of the beef broth, and a Guinness Gingerbread Stout). Turned out amazing. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Made it tonight and it was delicious! Yes — the stout gravy was bitter, I’ve never tasted anything like it (I don’t care for Guinness as a beverage)— but it was really tasty paired with the mash! We felt like we were eating something wildly exotic, lol. Will look for the Trader Joe’s bangers for next time. Thanks!
Made tonight. Very good & will definitely make again! Followed recipe except used johnsonville Italian sweet sausage because it was what I had in the freezer. Gravy by itself was bitter but really good when served over the sausages and mashed potatoes. I usually make mashed potatoes with some heavy cream. The buttermilk was a great change up and will use that technique again. Peas were the perfect accompaniment. Next time might try brown sugar in the gravy. But worry it might ruin the balance of flavors.
This was an amazing recipe, my husband absolutely loved this and told me to add it to our collection of favorite recipes!