Cumberlands, Mash & Onion Gravy

Sausage and mash lives or dies on the gravy, and the gravy lives or dies on the onions. Give them twenty minutes on a low heat in butter until they're soft, sweet and properly gold, then deglaze with a splash of beer. The sausages just go in the oven and look after themselves.

Ingredients

• 6 Cumberland sausages
• 1 kg Maris Pipers — peeled and chunked
• Butter, milk
• Peas

Onion gravy

• 2 onions — sliced thin
• Butter
• Splash of beer
• 1 beef stock pot + 300 ml water
• 1 tsp Dijon

Method

1. Sausages. Oven to 200°C, sausages 25–30 minutes, turned once. Don't prick them.

2. Onions, slowly. Onions sliced thin, into butter on a low heat for 20 minutes until soft, sweet and properly gold. This is the gravy — it can't be rushed.

3. Gravy. Beer in to deglaze, then stock pot, water and Dijon. Simmer 10 minutes to reduce.

4. Potatoes. Cold salted water, 15–18 minutes.

5. Steam dry. Drain and let them steam dry for 2 minutes in the empty pan before mashing — wet potatoes make gluey mash.

6. Mash. Butter first, then warm milk. Season harder than feels right.

7. Peas. 3 minutes.