Sausage and mash pie with a rich caramelised onion gravy, baked until the potatoes are nicely crisped, and yes it is as good as it sounds!
A recipe from the same stable as shepherd’s pie and cottage pie, this recipe is the epitome of comfort food.
Bangers and Mash Pie
To say that I have a bit of a thing for mashed potato-topped pies would be an understatement.
I have recipes for cottage pie, shepherd’s pie, Cumberland pie, haggis shepherds pie, Hachis Parmentier and even a vegetarian shepherdess pie.
My latest offering is very much a play on that theme, this sausage and mash pie really is the stuff of comfort food dreams!
It really is the old-school British favourite of bangers and mash with onion gravy turned into a pie. I also have a fish finger pie that plays with similar ideas, and yes it does have baked beans.
Pork sausages cooked in rich and bold onion gravy featuring slowly caramelised onions sits at the heart of this recipe.
It is then topped with buttery and creamy mashed potato and baked until the mash crisps up and the pie is a bubbling cauldron of gravy goodness.
If you like this dish then you will love my sausage hotpot recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
What sort of sausages can I use?
I tend to use whatever sausages take my fancy at the butchers for this recipe. There are no rules although I usually use beef sausages as I do in my sausage tray bake and sausage and lentil casserole, but pork sausages are also superb in this recipe.
I would avoid anything with chilli or paprika, neither flavours are particularly good with the gravy.
What sort of potatoes should I use?
You need a good floury potato for any mash. Look for something like Maris Piper or King Edwards, Russet if you are in the US and if you have the dreaded ABC classification use type C.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can build the pie and refrigerate it for 2-3 days before baking.
Technically you could also freeze the pie, however, I am not fond of freezing mashed potatoes because they are never very good when defrosted as far as I am concerned.
What is Marmite?
Marmite is a British yeast spread similar to the Australian vegemite, it is a real love-it or hate-it product for many.
However I have a more complex relationship with the sticky stuff, I really don’t like it as a spread.
However, throw it in some gravy and something magic happens, feel free to skip it if you must, but give it a try at least once!
Serving Suggestions
I serve these sausage and mash pies here with some roasted tenderstem broccoli.
It is a dish that begs for some green veggies as far as I am concerned.
Everything from garlic green beans and air fryer asparagus to braised cavolo nero would be perfect too, even good old garden peas work well.
If you want more veggies how about these glazed Chanteny carrots or even roast some parsnips in the oven with the pies.
Equipment Used
I only name-check specific brands of equipment if I think that it will genuinely help you make a recipe. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- Oven.
- 28cm or 11″ frying pan, not non-stick.
- Sharp kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Potato masher or potato ricer, I prefer the latter.
- Piping bag with a star nozzle (optional).
- Oven proof baking bowls, I prefer to make individual pies in 375ml baking dishes. You can make it in a single bowl with a capacity of 750ml.
Sausage Pie Recipe
Taking the ideas behind shepherd's pie and giving it a twist results in this delicious sausage and mash pie, loaded with pork bangers and a delicious caramelised onion gravy.
Ingredients
- 6 Beef Sausages (Pork Sasuages Are Great Too)
- 300g (2 Cups) Onion
- 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 Tbsp Plain Flour
- 375ml (1½ Cups) Beef Stock
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tsp Marmite
- 400g (3 Cups) Floury Potatoes
- 75ml (⅓ Cup) Milk
- 75g (5 Tbsp) Butter
Instructions
- Cut the onions in half, peel them, then slice them into 1cm (½") thick half moon shapes.
- Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan (not non-stick) over a low-medium heat and when it is hot add the oil.
- Throw in the onions and allow them to caramelise slowly for an hour stirring occasionally.
- Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl.
- Turn the heat up under the frying pan to medium-high and add the sausages and brown on all sides. The aim is just to add colour and not cook the sausages all the way through.
- Remove the sausages and place them onto a chopping board.
- Return the onions to the pan and sprinkle over the flour and stir for 2 minutes to cook out the flour.
- Pour over the beef stock, and add the Marmite, Worcestershire sauce and mustard, then cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly. Make sure that you scrape and residue from the base of the pan.
- Cut the sausages into bite-sized pieces and stir them through the onion gravy.
- Transfer the sausage and gravy into two baking bowls and allow it to cool for 20-30 minutes. The bowls that I use hold around 375ml (1½-1⅔ cups) of water and they are 12.5cm in diameter and 5cm deep (5" by 2").
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 35mm cubes (1½). Then boil them in salted (1 teaspoon for every 2 litres of water) boiling water for 20-25 minutes or until they are cooked.
- Just before the potatoes are cooked heat the milk in a small pan (15cm or 6"), it does not need to boil but just warmed to around 50-60°C or around 125°F.
- Dice the butter into 1cm (½") dice.
- Drain the potatoes then pass mash them or pass them through a potato ricer, then add the diced butter and just enough milk to make a nice mash.
- Top the sausages in onion gravy with the mashed potato, I like to use a piping bag with a star nozzle. But you can spread it with a spoon and then rough it up with a fork.
- Finally, bake them in an oven at 180°C or 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until the potato is crisp and the gravy is bubbling.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1295Total Fat: 94gSaturated Fat: 36gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 52gCholesterol: 234mgSodium: 2556mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 7gSugar: 16gProtein: 46g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Gina Strauch
Thursday 19th of January 2023
Sometimes I make your recipes exactly as written, and sometimes I adapt to use the ingredients on hand. One reason I keep coming back to this website is the adaptability of many of the recipes, and the wonderful ideas I'd never think of on my own.
I loved the onion gravy (5 stars for Marmite!), and the piped on potato topping, but lacked some of the other ingredients, so I used leftover roast venison for the protein, and then to make it a one pot meal, caramelized cabbage with the onion, and added blanched carrot and soybean (I grow them, and they are my go to instead of frozen peas). It was excellent.
Brian Jones
Friday 20th of January 2023
Hey Gina...
Good to hear from you, recipes are meant as starting points... I do like to try and give something that works out of the box but in reality, I love it when people go away and make it their own. I get so many ideas from folk that do that :D
I think I got marmite in gravy from James Martin, although I am not sure, but it is genius! I honestly can't stand marmite as a spread but as an ingredient in sauces, it is superb!
Mrs DORENE F LOOS
Monday 17th of October 2022
FABULOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian Jones
Saturday 5th of November 2022
Thanks Dorene!