Barbecue bangers and mash
Take sausage and mash outdoors with these buttery mashed potatoes baked on the BBQ and served with sausages grilled over wood smoking chips.
Equipment: You will need a large handful of wood smoking chips, soaked in warm water then drained
Ingredients
- 4 baking potatoes
- knob of butter, plus extra to serve
- 2 Cumberland sausage rings
- sea salt and black pepper
For the red onion gravy
- olive oil
- 25g/1oz butter
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 2 tsp dark brown soft sugar
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 200ml/7fl oz red wine
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- ½ tsp English mustard
Method
Light the barbecue and let the coals die down until they’re white, ashy and glowing. Pierce the potatoes several times each with a skewer, then smear with butter.
Season the potatoes with plenty of salt and pepper, then wrap each in a double layer of kitchen foil. Push the coals to one side, lay the potatoes in the bottom of the barbecue, then carefully rake the coals back over to cover. The potatoes will take around 40 minutes to cook, but check them every now and again by piercing with a skewer or the tip of a knife.
Once the potatoes have been buried, set the grill over the top to heat. Secure the sausages with skewers to stop them from unravelling, then grill for 5 minutes on each side until caramelised. Move them to the side of the grill where there are no coals beneath, throw a handful of soaked wood chips onto the coals, then cover with a lid and leave to cook slowly for 20 minutes.
For the gravy, heat a little oil in a saucepan, add the butter and onions and fry gently for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Add the flour, cook for a further 2 minutes, then pour in the wine.
Bring to the boil, cook for 10 minutes and then pour in the stock. Simmer for a further 15 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Whisk in the mustard just before serving.
Take the sausages off the grill and set aside on a board or warm plate. Dig the potatoes out of the charcoal, carefully unwrap, then cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Roughly mash the potatoes with a knob of butter and plenty of salt and pepper. Serve the sausages with the mashed potatoes and gravy.