If someone said to you, completely out of the blue: “Hey, what’s mankind’s greatest ever invention?” you might panic and, without a moment’s thought, reply “The wheel!” or “The telescope!” or “The Internet!”
You would, on all three counts, be wrong. Very wrong. I am about to demonstrate why.
As early as 589 BC, humans had invented something so incredible, so beautiful in its simplicity, so mouth –watering that it has endured to this very day. Sure, it’s not particularly fashionable – but in terms of taste, texture, variety and sheer culinary wizardry it beats almost all comers. When you’re down, eating a few of these can make you feel happy, when it’s cold, they can make you feel warm. Greek philosophers have written plays about them. Civilisations from all over the world have had their own kinds – from China to Europe to the Americas and probably even the Moon.
I present to you the humble Sausage – mankind’s greatest invention.
The sausage can be so much more than just lips, bumholes and trotters. It can be so much more than a hog tube slopped next to lumpy mash. It doesn’t have to be a rancid pink tube filled with the cast offs of the farmyard’s most noble beast. If you take time, and pick carefully, you too can have a sausage that is meaty, herby and divine – the delicate skin of the casing bursts against the press of your teeth, releasing coarse, tender, flavourful chunks of lovingly crafted sausage in to your gullet. Make no mistake, despite the £1-for-six supermarket abominations, sausage making is an art form and one that I intend to take up before the year is out. In the meantime, I am prepared to spend a few pence more and get something of really high quality, to turn out everything from the classic British “Soss, eg ‘n chips” to Toad in the Hole to Sausage and Leek Risotto. I am particularly partial to a Cumberland Ring, myself, but every butcher has their own specials. There’s a butcher in Essex around the corner from my Mum (http://www.iessex.co.uk/profile/292124/Chelmsford/C-Humphreys-and-Sons/) that does the best ever sausage – Beef, Mustard and Guinness. I had better carry on before I hurry away from my desk and by a load of them.
So this week, I present to you Pig and Potato Pie with Spring Veg!
Firstly, you will need STUFF:
- Good quality Cumberland sausages (about three per person should do it)
- Mushrooms, quartered
- A couple of carrots, chopped
- 5/6 shallots, peeled and halved
- 1 or 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 chilli, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- Potatoes for mash
- Kale
- A knob of butter
- A splash of milk
- Mustard – good, fiery, English mustard!
- Beef stock – half a pint to a pint – enough to make a good gravy with
- BOOZE! I used half a pint of Guinness, but a good ale or a glass of red wine would be just as good.
Firstly, gently sweat the shallots, carrots and garlic in a pan until softened. Then, add the quartered onions until they gain some colour. Finally, add the sausages and fry them off for about 10 minutes until they are brown and nearly cooked. Depending on the amount of sausages you’re using, you may need to do this in batches. Once you have done this, remove the sausages and place to one side on a plate.
Now add the chilli to the shallots, carrots, onions and garlic and cook for a minute over a medium heat. Then add your stock, booze, and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper and bring to the boil. When boiling, add your sausages back to the pan, and bring the mixture down to a steady simmer, making sure that the sausages are completely covered by the gravy. Try to reduce the gravy so it thickens, but not too much. Cover with a lid, and turn your attention to the potatoes.
Bring them to the boil, and then simmer for around 20 minutes, or until you can prick them with a fork. Meanwhile, wilt some kale (my ingredient of the moment) in a pan. When the potatoes are done, mash them and stir in the kale with a generous helping of mustard, depending on how fiery you like it.
Spoon the sausages and vegetables in to a ovenproof dish, taking care not to add too much gravy – you want some, but you don’t want the potato to get sloppy.
Once that’s done, use a couple of spoons to dollop the potato on top of your filling. Whack the whole lot in to an oven that has been preheated to 220c/Gas Mark 7 and leave it for half an hour, or until the potato topping is golden brown.
There is no neat way of presenting this. Spoon out even portions of potato, sausage, gravy and veg in to bowls or deep plates.
Serve with a big grind of black pepper on the top, a nice bottle of Hopping Hare by Badger Brewery (trust me, you’ll want wine but this beer is the Bees Knees and its distinctive, hoppy flavour lends itself really nicely to these herby sausages… Give it a go!) and sit back and revel in the contended munching sounds your guests will invariably be making. Sheer, utter bliss.
And that’s it, the end of another blog. Once again, be sure to give this a try, and let me know how the results are.
Yay! Love sausages! :)
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