This recipe was originally posted in March of 2016. It has been updated.
Green this and green that, corned beef and cabbage. Time to crack open a beer, don’t you think? In honor of our maybe-a-little-Irish roots, I thought we would pay a little respect as well. Thus, Grilled Sausages for Bangers and Mash. Bangers and Mash is an old Irish favorite that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.
Grilled Bangers and Mash
Grilled Bangers and Mash. We are talking about grilled sausages, so you KNOW this is gonna be good.
Why the name “bangers”?
Traditional Irish sausages have a pretty high fat content. While cooking, they often pop (or “bang”) when they were cooked. So…bangers.
Ingredients Needed for Bangers and Mash:
- Bratwurst sausages or sausage of choice
- Potatoes
- Butter
- Milk
- Onions
- Flour
- Frozen green peas
- Salt + Pepper
We decided to go with a classic bratwurst. There is not a big supply of traditional Irish sausages in our neck of the woods here in Tennessee. However, we kept the spirit of the recipe close and consumed several beers during the production of this blog post.
“Mash”, of course, is potatoes. Feel free to use your own go-to mashed potato recipe. Nothing fancy needed here. The grilled sausages are the star of this Bangers and Mash recipe.
Most recipes for this classic Irish dish included a gravy, with the onions cooked in, and simmering the sausages in the gravy. No offense, Irish-folk, but it looked pretty bland.
Instead of cooking the onions in the gravy, we went for a sweet and savory caramelized flavor and grilled our onions in butter. Oh and grilled sausages.
How to Make Grilled Bangers and Mash:
Grilled Bangers
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Heat grill to high (400 degrees0). Place sausages on the grill and reduce heat to medium-high (around 325) and cook. Turn frequently, until sausages are done through. Refer to package cooking temperature directions, about 15 minutes. The time will vary according to cooking temperature, grill type and sausage variety.
Country Mashed Potatoes
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Place washed, peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot. Use large chunks of potatoes if you like chunky mashed potatoes and smaller if you like smooth potatoes. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
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Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 – 15 minutes until you can easily poke through a potato with a knife. Drain well, and return to the hot pan. The secret to great fluffy mashed potatoes is getting the liquid out. Returning them to the pan helps dry them out.
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Add butter, salt and pepper, and half of the milk. With a fork or potato masher, mash the potatoes to desired consistency. Add more milk, salt and pepper and continue to mash. Taste, and season as needed. Keep in mind the bangers will be salty, so don’t over do it.
Grilled Onions
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In a skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and let cook. Don’t touch them, just watch your heat. When they get brown, stir them, and leave them alone. Again. You really want to get a nice brown color on the onions.
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When they are brown add salt and pepper to taste. (Use sparingly, you can always add more.) Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until caramelized and tender, about 10 minutes.
Gravy
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Remove onions from skillet. Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add flour, and stir to combine. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, slowly browning the flour mixture. Do not let burn.
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Slowly add water, a little at a time, continuously stirring until all lumps are gone.
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Add more water and stir until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve potatoes with gravy, topped with sausage and onions and a side of green peas.
You have to have some gravy with all this Irish yum. We just made a quick roux from butter and flour, added some water, salt and pepper, and cooked until smooth.
If you like where this recipe is heading, you will also like these recipes:
Family Favorite Shephard’s Pie
Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole
Dilly Pickled Onion Rings
Irish Colcannon with Bacon
We thought we would give it a little Tennessee love and throw it on the grill. Bratwurst Bangers, Country Mash, and grilled onions and some green peas….hard to beat.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, ya’ll!
Grilled Bangers & Mash
Ingredients
Grilled Bangers
- 6 Bratwurst sausages or sausage of choice
Country Mashed Potatoes
- 6-8 white potatoes washed, peeled, and chopped
- 3 TB butter
- 1/2 cup or more milk
- Salt & pepper to taste
Grilled Onions
- 2 white onions halved and thinly sliced
- 3 TB butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
Gravy
- 2 TB butter or bacon grease
- 3 TB all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- Salt & pepper to taste
Peas
- 1 bag of frozen peas prepared to package directions
Instructions
Grilled Bangers
- Heat grill to high (400 degrees0). Place sausages on the grill and reduce heat to medium-high (around 325) and cook. Turn frequently, until sausages are done through. Refer to package cooking temperature directions, about 15 minutes. The time will vary according to cooking temperature, grill type and sausage variety.
Country Mashed Potatoes
- Place washed, peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot. Use large chunks of potatoes if you like chunky mashed potatoes and smaller if you like smooth potatoes. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until you can easily poke through a potato with a knife. Drain well, and return to the hot pan. The secret to great fluffy mashed potatoes is getting the liquid out. Returning them to the pan helps dry them out.
- Add butter, salt and pepper, and half of the milk. With a fork or potato masher, mash the potatoes to desired consistency. Add more milk, salt and pepper and continue to mash. Taste, and season as needed. Keep in mind the bangers will be salty, so don't over do it.
Grilled Onions
- In a skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and let cook. Don't touch them, just watch your heat. When they get brown, stir them, and leave them alone. Again. You really want to get a nice brown color on the onions.
- When they are brown add salt and pepper to taste. (Use sparingly, you can always add more.) Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until caramelized and tender, about 10 minutes.
Gravy
- Remove onions from skillet. Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add flour, and stir to combine. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, slowly browning the flour mixture. Do not let burn.
- Slowly add water, a little at a time, continuously stirring until all lumps are gone.
- Add more water and stir until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve potatoes with gravy, topped with sausage and onions and a side of green peas.
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