The Perfect Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

A very, very traditional British meal made luxurious and super delicious.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 6 fresh sausages (minimum 65% pork shoulder, preferable)
• 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
  
• 4 large potatoes (pealed and cut into small cubes for fast cooking)
  
• 2 heaped spoons of Gravy powder
• 1 bunch of chopped parsley
• 1 soup spoon of butter
• 1/4 tea spoon of ground nutmeg
• 1 small glass of milk
• olive oil salt and pepper (sufficient)
  

Butterfly cut all the sausages (slice them down the middle without separating the halves). Then put a non stick frying pan on the stove at medium heat with a little olive oil. Once hot add the sliced onion and stir occasionally until it starts to get golden.

While that is happening put a pan on the stove with boiling water and place the cubed potatoes inside (+a little salt) and boil them till cooked.

On the frying pan now that the onions started to caramelize move the onion to one side and place the sausages split down first in the pan then cover them with the onions, and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes, after that turn them and let the onions fall under the sausages and cook for another 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. This will allow the sausages to cook but more importantly will allow the onions to caramelize further.

Now the potatoes should be cooked so strain them and at the same times remove the sausages from the pan (dish them in pre heated plates to conserve them hot) leaving only the onions. Add to the onions a large glass of water with the gravy powder diluted in it, and bring it to the boil until the gravy thickens and infuses with the caramelized onions and sausage meat flavours from the pan.

While the gravy is making, mash the potatoes with the potato masher, once smooth add the butter + the parsley + the milk and nutmeg and mix well.

Than dish it all and eat this simple traditional yet super delicious meal. :)

Double Baked Potatoes and Rosemary Chipolatas

Recipe Ingredients:(enough for 4)

• 12 chipolatas sausages
• 4 large roasting potatoes
  
• 1 packet of mixed salad, water cress, spinach, gem lettuce & beetroot
• 1 soup spoon of butter
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 2 soup spoons of grated cheddar cheese
  
• a little milk
  
• 1 tea spoon of fresh rosemary
  
• 2 soup spoons of olive oil
  
• salt and black pepper to taste
  
• pinch of cayenne
  
• a little balsamic oil
  

The preparation is simple, wash the potatoes and stab them with a sharp knife around 4 times on each side, then they go in the oven around 200c for around 40-50 minutes.

Five minutes away from the potatoes being ready, put a frying pan on the stove with the olive oil once hot ad the rosemary, seasoning (salt & pepper), chilli and the chipolates, turning these around on each side until golden.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and slice them in half, with a soup spoon remove the pulp completely only leaving the skin, the pulp place it in a bowl and ad, to it a soup spoon of butter, a glug of milk, seasoning, nutmeg and cheese, mix well. Then fill the potato skins half full and insert the chipolates cut in half, fill the rest with the mash and bake the potatoes back in the oven again until golden brown or less if you prefer. I done mine less as I was hungry and couldn't wait. (also instead of cheddar if you want a smoother cheese you can use Gruyère)

Serve this on a plate with the mix salad, with a little seasoning, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic oil.

A simple yet delicious meal, and fairly balanced. For a stress free dinner.

Pan Fried Pork Sausage in a bed of Spring Onion Bulgar dusted with Paprika

Really easy to make yet nutritious and fast to accomplish.

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 3-4 people)

• 300grs bulgar wheat
• 2 garlic cloves (1 finely diced, the other crushed)
  
• 2 carrots (julienned)
  
• 6 spring onions (thinly sliced)
• 1 soup spoon of tomato concentrate
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• some olive oil
• a little butter
• Salt, pepper and (sweet) paprika to taste

Cook the Bulgar (I used fine one this time) as you would cook rice it will be done in 7-8 minutes, and once cooked drain it in a small holes strainer, and set it aside. Meanwhile get a frying pan with a glug of olive oil and a little butter (heaped tea spoon will do) and as soon as is hot add the garlic the bay leaf and the sausages, following this method seal turn, seal turn keep doing that until is sealed all the way around, then you do the same for browning, browned turn and so on.

And while that is doing, on another frying pan put a glug of olive oil and the minced garlic soon as it get hot add a little seasoning and the carrots and spring onions, cook until the spring onions start to go a little darker, at this stage add some paprika and a soup spoon of tomato concentrate and 1/2 cup of water, bring to the boil reduce the heat to minimum and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then join the sauce to the drained bulgar and let it rest about 3 minutes with a lid on....serve and eat. this was my yesterday's diner. Have fun

Sausages w/ Broccoli & Cauliflower Gratin and Roasted Garlic Potatoes

How beautiful this dish is....However is so simple and easy to make that I would challenge you to make it. This dish is made of three parts: Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin, Fresh pork Sausages and finally Roasted new potatoes.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 300grs Cauliflower (obviously do more if you want, separated into pieces)
• 300grs Broccoli (obviously do more if you want, separated into pieces)
• 1 and 1/2 cup of grated cheese
• 1/2 glass of warm water with plain flour well dissolved
• 300mls of milk (approx)
• 1 soup spoon of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic (1 crushed, 1 pureed)
• 3 soup spoons of olive oil
• Seal Salt and black pepper (and a little nutmeg)
• enough sausages for all guests
• 1kg new potatoes
  

Cut new potatoes if big in half or three parts if very small leave them whole, important is that the pieces are all of identical size, boil them until just fully cooked. Place them in a bowl with the pureed garlic and a pinch of sea salt (also you can sprinkle some paprika) and toss these, set it aside. Now put some water in a pan take it to the fire and place in the pan the broccoli and the cauliflower put a lid on and let it cook until nearly fully cooked but still very firm. While this is doing is time to do your bechamel.....very easy ...put the milk in a pan with the butter, until this one fully melts at this stage add a pinch of salt a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, also add the water with the flour always mixing to not form lumps, once is fairly thick the consistency of gravy add the 1 cup of cheese again stirring and this should take it to the next level consistency of heavy gravy. And that is it your bechamel is made. Now spread the (veg) cauliflower and broccoli into a Pyrex tray, and pour over to cover all of it them top it up with the left over 1/2 cup of cheese (before pouring the bechamel you can sprinkle a little salt over the veg as these ones were cooked with no salt). Put the coated potatoes in another tray and stick both the potatoes and the veg trays in the oven (previously heated to 200c) leave it all there for 20 minutes, to brown. Meanwhile in a pan put the olive oil the crushed garlic and some paprika heating and, once hot fry shallow fry the sausages (previously butterflied) until golden (remember these sausages can be vegetarian) in my house I done half and half (half veg sausages and half turkey sausages) as my wife is a vegetarian. Assemble as in picture above, and you can if you wish also make some nice gravy. Find bellow pictures, the the cooked dishes separately.

Sesame Croquettes with Corn Dogs

Today you don't need a recipe for this as is so easy to do, is what I call a mess around dinner.

I boiled some potatoes, some onions and some carrots, then I mash them all together adding some seasoning salt & pepper rolled some small portions of these into croquette shapes, passed them through some beaten egg and some bread crumbs with sesame seeds, then fried them slowly in vegetable oil.

To accompaign I done some corn dogs my way, in a bowl a couple of spoons of coarse corn flour a couple of plain flour a little paprika and chilli powder + some salt and pepper, add to that an egg and a couple of spoons of beer to make a batter then dip some plain cocktail sausages in the batter and fry it immediately, after golden drain on some kitchen paper and serve them with the croquettes and some salad of your own taste....however my wife heated some baked beans and it was delicious too like that. You decide :)