bangers & mash

There's a little pub called the Royal Peasant at 5 Points (Athens) that I like to visit frequently. The food's good, service is chill and it's a nice place to watch some footie while grabbing a bite to eat. While I've had a solid experience with all of the foods offered at this quaint pub, I like their bangers and mash the best.

2 tasty bangers are served with a mountain of buttery, mashed potatoes, a tomato gravy that reminds me of Heinz 57 sauce and shredded cabbage seasoned with turmeric. I had a week off from tests last month so I decided to make my own version at home.

I found some Irish style bangers at the local Trader Joe's because everything else in this town is either chicken or Italian sausage. These are the moments where a great independent deli or a Whole Foods is missed. As for the mash, I used red potatoes which were on sale that week.

Mash:

To make the mash I boiled the potatoes until tender, drained the potatoes, returned them to the same pot with some scalded milk, mashed them and finished it off with salted Lurpak butter. Salt and pepper to taste too!

Cabbage:

Thinly slice a green cabbage into strips. Put some olive oil into a hot pan and add a handful of green cabbage. Season with turmeric until the green cabbages are colored gold, about a tablespoon or less to taste, and saute over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the cabbage strips have browned and the turmeric gives off a spicy scent. Reminiscent of curry. Set aside until needed.

Sausages:

As for the sausages...Instead of pan frying the sausages for the entire cooking time, I poached them first in simmering water for about 15 minutes then took them out to rest while I made the other components. When everything else was ready, I pan fried them in olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes until all sides were browned. High heat would have caused the casing to burst which sucks for presentation purposes.

Tomato Gravy:

I added some Heinz 57 sauce to chicken stock and red wine with a bayleaf, black peppercorns, parsley and gently simmered it for about 5 minutes or so until I got to the consistency I liked. This may sound kinda gross but it actually tasted decent. Not the real deal though. If you're really lazy, you can just use Heinz 57 sauce. I want the recipe!!!! :(

I was pleased with the outcome of the dish although it doesn't taste as good as the original. It mostly has to do with the type of sausage I used though as the Irish bangers just couldn't compare to the ones served at the restaurant. The key to success in this homemade version is to season accordingly, keeping in mind that all components must come together on one plate. If you make one part of the dish too salty, once it joins with the other ingredients (which have also been salted) it may remind you of drinking sea water instead of something quite delicious.