There are numerous ways to make classic dinners more appealing or more varied. From roasting common vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli, which are often boiled, to making your own stock for more delicious soups. When it comes to sausages and mash, which everyone knows has to be served with rich gravy, there’s a very simple change you can make, says Tom Kerridge. The chef, who specialises in transforming high-quality ingredients into nutritious and delicious meals, suggests substituting white potatoes with two seasonal vegetables.
Traditional bangers and mash is savoury to its core, with meaty pork sausages and creamy mashed potatoes complemented by sweet onions and a rich, umami gravy that brings out the flavours. You can enjoy all the best savoury flavours of the dish with the addition of swede and sweet potato, mashed together with butter, crème fraîche and black pepper as per Tom’s recommendation. Swede, which costs just 60p in most supermarkets, and sweet potato are in season during October and contain a high amount of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes.
Tom’s recipe is not revolutionary by any means, but it is a worthwhile swap for anyone seeking a “lighter” version of bangers and mash, said the chef.
The recipe, which debuted in the cookbook Tom Kerridge’s Fresh Start, is best made using “the best quality pork sausages”, which should be roasted in the oven without any extra oil.
Sausages and mash recipe
Ingredients
- Eight good-quality pork sausages
- 500g swede, peeled and diced
- 500g sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 50g oz butter
- 100g oz half-fat crème fraîche
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the gravy
- One tbsp olive oil
- Two onions, thinly sliced
- Six sprigs of thyme, tied together with a string
- 150ml/5fl oz beer (or use an extra 150ml/5fl oz beef stock)
- Two tsp English mustard
- 500ml/18fl oz beef stock
- Two tbsp beef gravy granules
To serve
- 300g/10½ oz green beans, steamed