Bangers N Mash

A reeeeeallllllyyy (and I mean really) good version of bangers is served at one of our local/favorite restaurants. Without fail, Ryan gets it everytime we go there. I had a special request to make this from him on last weeks menu so I tried it. It's surprisingly easy- I guess it's kinda hard to f up sausage and potatoes.

I found actual real live bangers at the grocery store (exciting!)

So I used those instead of any other beef sausage you can find. For this recipe you will need:

8 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 teaspoons butter, divided

1/2 cup milk, or as needed

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds beef sausage

1/2 cup diced onion

1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix

1 cup water, or as needed
 
Preheat oven to 350.
 
Bring a large saucepan to a boil and put your peeled potatoes in there- I chop mine first so they soften quicker- and boil until soft, about 20 minutes.
 
While you're boiling potatoes, heat a medium skillet with butter and place bangers in skillet. Saute until heated through.

Once the potatoes are soft, drain them and place them back into the pot. Mash them with desired amount of butter and milk. Set aside.

 
Make gravy by package instructions. - If I were you, I wouldn't leave this alone for too long. I walked away from my gravy and next thing I know brown bubbles are boiling over the top. Oops.-
 
Pour half of your gravy into an 8 x 11 baking dish.
 

Place bangers in a row in gravy. Butterfly if you wish. I did- it helps them get flavor, otherwise they don't have a ton.

Pour remaining gravy over top of bangers.

 
Spread mashed potatoes over top of banger/gravy mixture. Top with salt and pepper to taste.

 
Stick this bad boy in the oven until the potatoes are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with sauteed onions or mushrooms if you desire.
 

I'm normally not the hugest fan of a meal like this, solely based on the way it looks, but I gave it a shot, and it was super good. Enough for Ryan to have lunch the next day too!

Chasing Emily's Dish

Heh heh heh, am I the only one that thinks that sounds dirty/funny? Anyway....A good friend of mine is a serious whiz in the kitch. I had the opportunity to go for dinner at her house probably 7 (wow) years ago during our Buffalo Exchange days and I can still remember what she cooked. Is that weird?

Emily posted a recipe for Cornish Pasties on her Chasing The Dish Blog a couple of weeks ago and I really wanted to try it out. So without further ado, here we go.

I should let you know, that Emily of course made her dough from scratch. I, on the other hand, bought puff pastry squares for lack of time (I'm so ashamed). So here's my version of this recipe:

You will need:

Around 1lb steak- I used stewing steak, I probably should have used flank but this was less expensive and is still good.
2 large potatoes - use 1 if you can find a 2 small turnips to use in this recipe..unfortunately my market didnt' have any so I substituted with an extra potato
1 large rutabaga
1 egg- beaten
1 large yellow onion
2 tbsp flour
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbspn vegetable oil

A pack of 12 5" x 5" puff pastry sheets. Get the dough recipe here.

Heat veg oil in large deep skillet. Cut steak into small, 1/2" pieces and LIGHTLY brown in pan.

After beef is lightly browned on each side, remove from pan and put aside. Chop onions and place in pan. Saute for a few minutes, stirring often.

Add rutabaga and potatoes- also cut into 1/2" squares.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionaly for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 tbspn flour and about 1/4 cup water and stir well. Lower heat just a bit, cover and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Once all water is absorbed stir beef back in. Add salt and pepper to taste (I added a little rosemary and garlic for kicks...but just a little!). Do a little taste test before turning heat off to make sure it is seasoned to your liking because after they go in the pastry- there's no turning back!!

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a slotted spoon to get filling into pastry dough.

Fold over and use a fork to close pastry. Brush egg over top of pasty.

Cook at 350 degrees, until golden and starting to bubble up. If you are using a dough recipe from scratch, they will need to cook longer. Leave pasties on cooking sheet for about 15 minutes before removing. I ate mine with sour cream and they were soooo good. I also had a good amount of filling left over so I froze it for when I want to make another batch!

These are really hearty enough to be a full meal. Any pairing suggestions?