Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (conventional, 180 °C fan). Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan and brown the sausages all over for 8 to 10 minutes over medium-high heat, then transfer to a plate.
2. Add the butter for the gravy to the same pan and let it foam. Stir in the onions, thyme, bay leaf and sugar, put the sausages and their juices on top and cook everything in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the sausages halfway.
3. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes until a knife slides in without resistance. Drain and let steam for a minute.
4. Bring the milk to the boil in the empty pan, press the potatoes through a potato ricer straight into it and stir thoroughly. Over very low heat, beat with a wooden spoon and work in the cold butter piece by piece until the mash is smooth and light. Season with nutmeg and salt and keep warm.
5. Take the cooked sausages out of the oven and keep them warm on a tray in the switched-off oven. Put the pan back on the hob: the onions should be soft, sticky and dark at the edges. Fry for another minute or two so they caramelise.
6. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a minute, then add the vinegar and let it reduce for a minute. Add the red wine and soy sauce and reduce to a thick paste.
7. Pour in the stock and boil vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes until you have a smooth gravy. Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
8. If you like, cook the peas according to the packet instructions. Put a large portion of mash in the middle of the plate, lay the sausages on top and spoon the onion gravy over.

Drink with it

• Dark beer · excellent match

  Brown ale or strong English bitter

  The pub pairing: malt and caramel meet browned sausages and caramelised onions, and the hop bitterness keeps the mash light.

  Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue ↗

• Red wine · excellent match

  Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais-Villages

  Red fruit and fresh acidity pick up the red wine onion gravy, and low tannin stays soft next to the sausage fat.

  Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing ↗

• Red wine · good match

  Young Garnacha

  Berry fruit and soft spice pick up the roasted notes of the sausages and support the sweet braised onions.