Bangers and Mash is a traditional Irish dish: hearty sausages and creamy mashed potatoes covered in a savory gravy.  

Flavorful sausages are seared until golden brown, then smothered in a rich gravy made with caramelized onions and beef broth. Serve this traditional meal over creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. 

This flavorful dinner is a comforting dinner for any night of the week—or a special dish to whip up for St. Patty’s Day 🍀

Why do they call it bangers and mash?

Bangers is a slang term for sausage. Reportedly, the term “bangers” originated in World War I. Because of meat shortages, the sausages contained more fillers, including water. This caused the sausages to explode when cooked. (Bang!)

Mash = mashed potatoes, the creamy, comforting base of this bangers and mash recipe. 

This dish is commonly served in many traditional pubs and restaurants across England and Ireland.

Bangers and Mash Ingredients

Pork or beef sausages

Choose high-quality sausages for this recipe. Make sure you get raw sausages that aren’t smoked. And do not (I repeat, do not!) go for the low-fat ones! We need the fat that cooks off from the sausages for the gravy. It’s easiest to find these at the meat counter or your local butcher. 

Extra light olive oil or avocado oil

Large onion

Thinly slice the onion for quick and easy cooking!

Garlic

Flour

Beef stock

Salt and Pepper

Mashed potatoes for serving

I love to use my Asiago Herb Mashed Potato recipe!

Making Bangin’ Bangers

When you buy your sausage, choose high-quality, full-fat, raw sausages. You could get either pork or beef sausage, and you can choose mildly spiced or plain. 

No blowing up the kitchen with low-quality sausage around here. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and sear on all sides until golden brown and cooked to at least 160 degrees. Set the sausages aside.

(Onion) Gravy On Top

Onion gravy is the secret sauce of this bangers and mash recipe. 

If “onion” gravy sounds weird to you, hang with me for a minute. 

This onion gravy recipe doesn’t have an overpowering or sharp-tasting onion flavor. 

Instead, think of caramelized onions or french onion soup. It’s a deep, rich flavor that makes this traditional dish so savory and comforting.

How to Make the Onion Gravy

01) After you sear all the sausages and set them to the side, add the onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté for several minutes or until the onions are slightly caramelized. 

02) Stir in the flour and cook a little longer.

03) Pour the beef stock into the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan for flavor. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Mash it up!

Choose the mashed potato recipe that sounds tastiest to you! Here are some delicious options:

• Asiago Herb Mashed Potatoes
• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
• Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Looking to add something green?

Serve with a side of peas! Either steamed peas or these Peas & Pancetta (for extra flavor). 

You could also serve bangers and mash with other types of steamed vegetables or a salad.