This recipe for Irish Bangers and Mash is coated in a wonderful rich onion gravy and served over the best mashed potatoes. It’s so easy to make and is a perfect weeknight meal for the entire family. Great on Saint Patrick’s Day or all year round!
Bangers and Mash Recipe
Once I spot those corned beef packets at the market around early February, I get all excited, and then spend the next two months making my slow cooker corned beef and cabbage, corned beef hash, and this bangers and mash recipe…unit we’re all tired of them. (Just kidding…we never get tired of them.)
Bangers and Mash is a ridiculously uncomplicated and simple meal comprised of sausages, mashed potatoes, and a rich onion gravy. Truly stick to your ribs comfort food that is so satisfying.
Even though my husband is of Irish (and French) descent, he doesn’t know squat about Irish food, so I nabbed this recipe from my friend Caitlin years ago who is 100% Irish and definitely knows her way around the kitchen!
What is Bangers and Mash?
What does bangers and mash mean? Bangers are sausages and Mash refers to mashed potatoes. The name came about during World War I when there were meat shortages, so the sausages were made with a lot of water or dried bread, causing them to burst (with a bang!) while cooking. Bangers and Mash is a widely popular pub dish in Ireland and the UK, but it’s so easy to recreate at home!
This dish is very inexpensive and only requires pretty modest ingredients, so you really want all the elements to shine.
Ingredients Needed
This classic dish is quintessential comfort food with just a handful of common ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Use the best quality sausages for Bangers and Mash. If you’re lucky enough to find some Irish sausage, grab them! They have am herbal, peppery flavor to them that is awesome. If not, use a good quality pork sausage. Even bratwurst would be ok.
- The onion gravy is key and the secret behind a great Bangers and Mash recipe. Homemade onion gravy is a must here! It includes fat drippings from the pan, sliced onions, garlic, butter, flour, salt and pepper, and beef broth (see note below.)
- Beef broth, Guinness beer, and wine. I’ve seen recipes where the gravy is made with either beef broth or Guinness beer and a 1/4-1/2 cup of white or red wine. I chose just to use beef broth, but I have no doubt wine or beer would be terrific, too. If you do use wine, add it in after the flour and let it reduce before adding in the beef broth.
- For added flavor, you could also add in a little mustard and/or Worcestershire sauce.
- Mashed potatoes are the “mash” and a must for this dish. This mashed potatoes recipe is the best and the only way I ever make them!
How to Make Bangers and Mash
This recipe for Irish bangers and mash is so easy and delicious made in a few simple steps. Here’s a brief summary:
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions, and don’t miss the video below.)
- Pan-fry the sausages. Cook sausages in a little bit of hot oil until browned all over and cooked through (rolling frequently to prevent burning.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving a bit of rendered fat in the pan.
- Make the onion gravy. Add butter to the pan and sauté onions until translucent, golden, and begin to caramelize. Add in the garlic until fragrant. Add in the flour until cooked off. Then add some of the beef broth, mixing into the onion so it becomes a sludge. Then add remaining beef broth and mix until combined. Simmer until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
- Return sausages to pan. Transfer the cooked sausages back to the pan to warm through.
- Serve. Mound some mashed potatoes on a plate, top with 2 sausages, drizzle with gravy, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Bangers and Mash
Mashed potatoes are the “mash” and an absolute must for serving with these pork sausages. We’re partial to our homemade mashed potatoes (seriously, the best.) I also always serve this dish with a side of sweet baby peas (slathered in butter and a bit of salt.) It compliments the dish perfectly. Creamed spinach is also great.
For a low carb alternative, try our mashed cauliflower. If you don’t mind carbs on carbs, you can’t go wrong with some Irish soda bread as an additional side and for dessert a slice of pistachio cake!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, you can do this in the microwave until warmed through.
More Irish Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Bangers and Mash
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 pork sausage links
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large sweet onion , halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- salt and pepper , to taste
- the best mashed potatoes , for serving
- sweet baby peas , for serving
Instructions
- Warm oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add sausages and cook, until browned all over and cooked through (rolling frequently to prevent burning), about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan.
- Add butter; once bubbly, add in the onion and stir to coat. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent, golden, and begin to caramelize.
- Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour and mix through until completely combined.
- Add about 3/4 cup of beef broth and mix into the onion so it becomes a sludge. Then add remaining beef broth and mix until combined.
- Simmer, stirring, until the gravy thickens but is slightly thinner than you want – it will thicken more as it sits.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the cooked sausages back to the pan just to warm through.
- To serve, mound some mashed potatoes on a plate, top with 2 sausages, drizzle with gravy, and some sweet baby peas on the side. Yum!
Perfect every time!
I have made this recipe 2x for my family in 2 weeks and we all LOVE it! The gravy is truly amazing and the part that makes the entire dish so DELISH!!!
This hit all the notes – easy, delicious, and my husband said I’m a rock star. Added to my permanent recipe book.
Fantastic recipe – my entire family loved it, even the little ones!