When I ask people what they know about British food, they usually name fish & chips and then bangers and mash.
Why do they call them bangers?
The name dates back to the Second World War when sausages were made and there was a shortage of meat, the sausages were filled with very little meat and more fillers like cereal and water, lesser expensive ingredients. This resulted in a lot of spitting and noise when they were cooked because of the water content and the skin would rupture and make a bang, so they nicknamed them ‘bangers’. I think most meat eaters love sausages and when they piled on top of mash and swimming in gravy and bangers and mash with onion and beef gravy is my favorite comfort food. I always have to have them with a side of fresh, sweet garden peas. You can always find a couple of packs of sausages and peas in my freezer, beef stock and onions in the pantry. Keeping these items on hand is a great way to get an easy dinner on the table in 20 minutes, any time, any day. Two of my local supermarkets carry British bangers so I have no problem finding them, but if you can’t find them you can substitute any sausages that you like. This bangers and mash with onion gravy comes together so quickly because everything cooks at the same time. While the potatoes are coming up to a boil, the sausages cook and while they cook the gravy is started by softening onions. Once the onions are softened, beef stock is added along with mustard and Worcestershire sauce, these 2 ingredients make the gravy rich and full of flavor. We had this dish last night I’m so glad I have leftovers for tonight because I’m craving them as I type this.
More British comfort foods:
Homemade Minced Beef and Dumplings Traditional Cornish Pasty Traditional Shepherd’s Pie
This bangers and mash recipe first appeared on Food Fanatic, where I am a contributor. English mustard is spicier than regular yellow mustard. If you can’t find it, you can use regular yellow mustard. Taste your stock, if it is salty, you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the dish English mustard is spicier than regular yellow mustard. If you can’t find it, you can use regular yellow mustard. Taste your stock, if it is salty, you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the dish
