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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Cal/Serv:
937
What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than by cooking traditional pub fare? Think of this like British bangers & mash, but with distinctive Irish heritage and flair. Put these flavorful sausages and mashed potatoes together with a rich onion gravy, and you’ll have one seriously satisfying meal for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond.
What makes Irish sausages special?
During WW2, rationing meant that many meat products were made with more fillers than usual—sausages had higher water-to-meat ratio, causing them to occasionally explode when cooked. Hence, the name bangers was born. Irish sausages are similar in composition, though there is one distinctive difference: British sausages are made with bread crumbs, whereas Irish sausages are made with rusk (a twice-baked bread somewhat like a savory biscotti).
What is champ?
Champ is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with scallions, butter, and cream. It's similar to colcannon, but without the cabbage. We’ve kept it simple here, but any of your favorite potato add-ins would be welcome.
How to make Irish sausages & champ:
The thing to note in this recipe is that all three elements—potatoes, sausages, and gravy—cook simultaneously. The order of operations is as follows: Cook potatoes, then tent to keep warm. While the potatoes cook, sear the sausages, then use the same skillet to cook the onions. The onions will take at least 30 minutes to get deeply caramelized, so you’ll want to get your potatoes done while they cook. If the onions start to get burnt or stick to the pan too much, simply add a little bit of water. Once the onions are finished and the potatoes are soft, you’ll simmer the gravy for another 10 minutes and mash up the potatoes.
Serving ideas:
To serve, you’ll want to plate up a big scoop of potatoes, 2 sausages, and a generous amount of the warm onion gravy spooned over everything. This dish is great on its own, but there are also so many side dishes and condiments that would be delicious nestled next to the sausages and champ. Try baked beans, Yorkshire puddings, braised cabbage, sautéed peas, or whatever you can come up with. We say, you can never go wrong with the classic combo of crusty bread and butter.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
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Ingredients
Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup
half-and-half
- 2 1/2 lb.
russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
- 6
scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced (about 1/2 c.)
- 2 Tbsp.
neutral oil, divided
- 1 lb.
cooked Irish sausages (about 8)
- 1
large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1
large clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp.
all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup
dark stout beer
- 1 1/2 cups
low-sodium beef or chicken stock
- 1 tsp.
Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Step 1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large heatproof bowl, mix butter, half-and-half, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook potatoes in boiling water until very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Step 2Drain potatoes, then immediately add to bowl with butter mixture. Using a potato masher, mash until smooth (alternatively, using a potato ricer, rice potatoes over butter mixture). Stir in scallions. Cover with foil or a plate to keep warm.
- Step 3While potatoes cook, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Cook sausages, turning often, until golden brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Step 4In same skillet over medium-high heat, toss onion with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often and adding a splash of water if onions start to burn or stick, until very soft and deeply caramelized, about 30 minutes.
- Step 5Add garlic to skillet with onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine. Add beer and scrape any bits on bottom of pan. Stir in stock and mustard, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes; season with salt, if needed. Nestle sausages into gravy and simmer, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
- Step 6Divide potatoes among plates. Top with sausages. Spoon gravy over.
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