Sausages and Mash (serves 4)

Sausages and Mash by The Fat Foodie

Sausages and Mash by The Fat Foodie

For all that I enjoy cooking new and interesting meals, sometimes it’s the simple old favourites that really hit the spot. One meal that undoubtedly falls into this category is sausages and mash.

A while ago I bought a pack of really good quality gluten-free butchers sausages from Marks and Spencer, but I froze them because the weather was too nice at the time for a hearty dinner such as sausages and mash. However, the leaves on the trees are not only starting to turn colour on the branches, they’re voluntarily free-falling to the ground to be crunched underfoot as we move throughout our day. This, to me, means it’s time to start revisiting classic recipes which have seen our elders through the cold, but cosy, evenings of autumn.

My initial plan for the sausages had been to slice them and put them through a pasta dish, but when I remembered that I still had some of my home-grown potatoes to use up I decided to make sausages and mash. As much as I adore good, lightly whipped mashed potato with a generous quantity of butter lovingly folded through it, sometimes it needs to be made a little bit more exciting so when I realised I had a leek in the fridge I figured it’d go very nicely with the mash. And the use of the green tips of spring onions instead of a normal white onion also added a sharp sweetness to the mash which complemented the green tips of the leeks.

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the old meals our elder family members cooked for us in the past, but I think they’re just as important to our approach to food as trying new recipes from countries far away from our own. These ‘classics’ help us to retain our link with our past, both in terms of our forebears and the landscape we lived within, and I’d even go so far as to say that I think they can contribute towards our sense of self. I, for one, know that my grandmothers will be looking down and heartily approving of my offering of a sensible plate of sausages and mash with rich gravy.

Ingredients:

8 gluten-free sausages (or, if you’re feeling particularly bold, you could even make your own with a homemade sausage maker!)

1 bag of new potatoes (cut into equal sized pieces)

50g green leek tips (thinly sliced) – only the green tips of a leek are low FODMAP

30g of green spring onion tips (thinly sliced) – only the green tips of a spring onion are low FODMAP

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

60g butter (or non-dairy version)

A splash of rice milk

Gluten-free gravy granules

40g celery (finely sliced)

20160926_180809_resized

Method:

Preheat the oven for your sausages.

Put your potatoes in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil.

While the potatoes are boiling put the leek greens and spring onion tips in another pan along with the tbsp. of oil and gently cook until soft.

Place your sausages in a baking tray, add the celery and a little water and cook the sausages in the oven until done.

When your potatoes are soft drain them. Mash the potatoes and then add the leek and spring onion mix along with a generous amount of butter and a splash of rice milk to it. Mash it all together and then taste it, adding salt and pepper and any more butter if you’d like.

20160926_180958_resized

Make a jug of thick gravy and add the celery that cooked alongside the sausages (and the sausage juices too, if you’re feeling naughty!)

Serve a nice big dollop of creamy mash on each plate with a couple of sausages and a generous drizzle of rich gravy. I’d recommend a little spoonful of sharp wholegrain mustard on the side too.

20160926_181212_resized

Save

Save

Save

Save

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2016