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| January 12, 2011 - 18 inches |
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| January 27, 2011 - 12 inches |
I received three cheese and garlic grilling sausages in my meat share this month and have been wondering what to do with them for the last couple weeks (don't worry--they were frozen). I found some beautiful Yukon gold potatoes at the winter market last weekend and that's when it hit me--Bangers and Mash! I had this dish while I was in London a few years ago and was pleased with the simplicity and the wonderful flavor punch it packed. I did some research on the web, trying to find the right recipe for this meal and decided to follow some steps from this serious eats recipe. I thought the suggestion about slowly poaching them in a little water first before sauteing them was great since I had never considered that to keep the sausages from bursting. In traditional Emily fashion, I had my own idea about the onion gravy and potatoes. I was going to do them my way. I am sure the onion gravy really makes this dish but, (1) I used my two onions last weekend making the meatballs and spaghetti sauce, and (2) I just didn't want to go to all the work. if you want the onion gravy, check out the aforementioned serious eats link for the recipe and instructions.
Now I have to start by saying that I don't eat like this all the time. I don't want people to get that idea from my blog. I love salads and tend to eat a lot of greens any chance I get. That said, once in a great while, a girl just wants a rich meal, no holds barred. So for the potatoes, I splurged and used whole milk and light cream. By all means, you can use skim milk and get rid of the cream entirely. Just substitute it all for skim milk, but I only eat mashed potatoes a couple times a year, so if I'm going to have them, I want them done right. There's no substitute for the texture you get in the final product. Those of you who enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner with me this past year will recognize both the potatoes and green beans from this menu.
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| The Essential Ingredients |
Bangers and Mash (Serves 4)
For the sausages:
1 pound pork or beef sausages (Cumberland sausages would work well)
1 beer, preferably an ale
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
For the potatoes:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
1 cup milk
1/2 cup light cream
4 tablespoons (half stick) butter
4 fresh sage leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
half a head of garlic cut through at the equator (use the larger half)
salt and pepper to season
For the green beans:
1/2 pound fresh green beans
1 large shallot, sliced thin
1/4 cup almonds, sliced (or chopped--whatever you may have in the pantry)
To start, while I had two pots of water warming to a boil, I peeled the potatoes, removed the eyes and quartered them. I next trimmed the beans. For those of you who don't typically use fresh beans, make sure you minimally trim off the woody stem end. I typically trim the other end too, but you don't need to. It's perfectly edible.
Once the water has come to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt to the water and carefully drop in the potatoes. I turn the heat down just a little so the water comes down to a nice gentle boil. Let cook until knife tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with cold water and add some ice. This will be used to shock the green beans after they have been blanched. Once the second, smaller pot of water comes to a boil, add a large pinch of salt and drop in the beans. We are simply blanching here, so let them cook only 2-3 minutes, tops! After 2-3 minutes, remove the beans with tongs and submerge in the ice bath to shock the beans. This stops the cooking and maintains their crunch and bright green color. Once all the beans have been submerged into the ice bath and cooled, remove the beans and place on a clean dish towel to dry. I pat them dry, put them into a bowl and place them back into the refrigerator, uncovered. This will help them dry out a little before adding them to the saute pan.
In a small saucepan, add the milk, cream, butter, garlic, thyme and sage. Turn the heat on medium-low until the butter has melted. Do not let the milk mixture come to a boil. You don't want to scald it, just heat it through so that it will be easier to mix into the warm potatoes. By adding the garlic and herbs, it infuses the milk with a subtle and wonderful flavor. Just let it sit on the back burner working its magic for you.
On the front burner, it's time to start the sausages. I used the biggest pan I had. I filled it with a Smithwick's and let that warm through until it was simmering. I then added the sausages. While keeping an eye on the sausages, I strained the potatoes from the water and then put the potatoes back in the hot pot I had used to boil them. Make sure to turn off the heat on that burner! Carefully, pick the thyme, sage leaves and garlic head out of the milk mixture and discard. Pour about 2/3 of the liquid into the potato pot. Add a pinch of salt and some cracked pepper. With a masher, begin working your magic and blend the liquid and potatoes together until smooth and creamy. I suck at mashing potatoes, so I cheat by using an immersion blender after this first step to help make them smoother. If you want lump-free potatoes, I suggest you use a food mill from the start or an immersion blender after initial mashing, like I did. With a clean spoon, taste to see if you need to add any seasonings and do so as needed. I remove the pot from the burner and place on a hot pad or wooden cutting board, cover with a lid and towel and leave them alone until it's time to pull the meal together. They stay hot on their own for quite a while.
Back to the sausages, turn them over and let cook for another 5 minutes or so until mostly firm. Transfer to a skillet with a little (a teaspoon is plenty) canola oil. Brown the sausages until the liquid runs clear when the sausage is pricked with a knife, about 10 more minutes I found. While those are cooking, add the shallots to a hot saute pan with a half tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) of olive and cook until crispy, NOT burned...brown and crispy. Watch the heat on this pan as it might start to get a little too hot. I usually need to turn it down a bit. Once the shallots are crisp, add the green beans to the pan. You might need to turn the heat back up a little. Add the almonds and cook, tossing occasionally, until the beans are warmed through.
The sausages should be just about ready at this point. Go ahead and plate the beans. Put the potatoes on the hot burner the beans were on and add the remaining 1/3 milk mixture and whip until incorporated.
To serve, place a dollop of potatoes on the plate, set the sausages on top of the potatoes. If you made a gravy, drizzle a little over the top and serve.
The potatoes were out of the world as well as the green beans. I think I might have poached the sausages a little too long, so they weren't as good as I had hoped, but still had a yummy flavor. All in all, it was a nice first attempt at a London classic. It's a bit like the people I met while I was there--a bit saucy, a little nutty, somewhat extravagant where it counted and an all around good time. (ha!) I think it's time to go back for another visit.
