Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

I know you can have bangers and mash any time by making simple mashed potatoes and grabbing some pre-made sausage from the store. But sometimes cooking should be an adventure! Many of the recipes from the Harry Potter cookbook I have are a bit intense and time-consuming which makes them not that great for after-work meals. However, when you can split the duties and cook with friends, it's a lot easier and definitely more fun. Doug and I hung out with some other Harry Potter-loving friends a few weeks ago and so we split the cooking duties. That made this recipe soooo much easier.

Bangers

• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1/2 lb ground pork or beef
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1/8 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/8 tsp ground thyme
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp butter or margarine

Mashed Potatoes

• 6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Onion gravy

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion,  finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• salt to taste

For the onion gravy, heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, about 30 minutes. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Add the chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbling. Taste the gravy and add salt, if necessary.

For the mashed potatoes, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer about 25 minutes or until the potatoes break apart when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes. Add the salt, butter, milk or half-and-half, and black pepper. Mash with a potato masher until the potatoes are light and fluffy.

For the bangers, combine all the ingredients, except the butter, in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Heat the butter in a skillet. Form the meat in sausage shapes and fry on each side over medium-high heat, turning often, until the sausages are well browned. Transfer the sausages to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat until the mixture is used up. 

NOTES: Read the entire recipe first. There is a lot, if you've got enough pots, that you can do simultaneously. I re-ordered the wording of the original recipe so that the things that have to sit the longest in a pot get looked at first. Hopefully that helps. Also, I'm taking a shot in the dark on how long it took us to make it. It's hard when you're working on several things at once and splitting duties with another family. 

Serves 6

Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz