I know I keep banging on about the weather and I am super happy to see the warmer weather, but I won’t lie. I was not too disappointed to get that last cold snap so that I could happily eat these mind blowingly good Beef Sausages with an epic beer, bacon and onion loaded gravy. What a treat! I managed to achieve what I would consider, the perfectly balanced gravy. It was rich, salty, bitter and sweet all at the same time and the creamy mash was the perfect vehicle to mop it up. A triumph! I’ll let you be the judge though and don’t forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think….
I managed to get my hands on some amazingly good Beef & Guinness Sausages form Craig Cook butcher for this recipe. I understand this is not possible for everyone so any good quality, butcher made, Beef Sausages will absolutely suffice.
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
$$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
For the Beef Sausages & Gravy:
Oil for frying
8 large Beef Sausages
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 small brown onion, halved and sliced top to bottom
4 short rindless bacon rashers, diced into small pieces
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and stalks discarded
1 1/2 tbs of plain flour
375ml of good quality beer (a dark ale works really well with this)
1 cup of beef stock
1 tbs of good quality balsamic vinegar (total game changer, you’ll understand why)
Sea salt and pepper
Rosemary leaves for garnish
Steamed greens to serve
For the Creamy Mash:
4 large dutch cream potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (these are the absolute best for mashing but not essential)
50gm of butter
150ml of pure cream
Sea salt and lashings of ground white pepper
To make the Beef Sausages and Gravy, heat a large fry pan and add a little oil. Fry the sausages until golden on all sides but there is no need to cook all the way through as they will cook in the gravy later.
Remove the beef sausages from the pan and add a little more oil. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until separated and just starting to soften before popping in the bacon, rosemary leaves and garlic. Stir to combine and allow the onion to soften more and the bacon to become lovely and golden before sprinkling over the flour. Use a wooden spoon and allow the flour to cook for a minute or two. It will look lumpy but if you cook it out properly, once you pour in the beer and whisk, the lumps will dissolve.
So, pour in the beer and whisk. It should thicken almost immediately and will look frothy but continue whisking for 30 seconds to make sure that all of the lumps of flour have dissolved and the frothiness has settled down. Pour in the beef stock, season with a little salt and a good amount of pepper, add the balsamic vinegar, stir and bring back to a simmer. Return the Beef Sausages back to the pan, nestle them in and allow the sausages to bubble away while you make the mash. Add a little water if the gravy looks to be getting a bit thick and it will develop a bit of a skin, but don’t be alarmed, it will stir and dissolve back into the gravy.
Bring the potatoes to the boil in a large pot of water and cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well and mash with a potato masher until lump free. Place the pot on a low heat and add the butter, cream and salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to whip the potatoes until gloriously creamy and smooth. Have a wee taste and add any seasoning if necessary.
To serve, divide the mash between four serving plates. Top with a couple of Beef sausages each and spoon over lashings of the gravy. Sprinkle over a few rosemary leaves for garnish and serve with steamed greens of your choice.
Bacon left? You may like this one…..