Cumberland Sausage and Mash with Onion Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 Cumberland sausage ring (about 450g), or 8 Cumberland-style sausages
• 1.2 kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled and quartered
• 30g butter, plus a knob extra for the gravy
• About 1/4 cup warm milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp flour
• 500ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Peas, to serve

Before you cook

• Peel and quarter the potatoes.
• Thinly slice the onions.
• Warm the milk gently so it's ready for the mash.

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Put the sausage ring or sausages on a baking tray.
3. Roast the sausages for about 35 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden and cooked through.
4. Put the potatoes into a large pot of salted water.
5. Bring the pot to a boil and cook until a knife slides through the potatoes easily, about 18 minutes.
6. Drain the potatoes and return them to the dry pot.
7. Add the butter and warm milk to the potatoes.
8. Mash until smooth, then season with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
9. Melt the extra knob of butter with the olive oil in a separate pan over low heat.
10. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt.
11. Cover the onions with a spoon of water and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
12. Uncover the onions and stir in the pinch of sugar.
13. Keep cooking the onions, stirring now and then, for another 15 minutes, until deeply browned and sweet.
14. Add the thyme and bay leaf to the onions.
15. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
16. Pour in the beef stock, stirring to avoid lumps.
17. Simmer the gravy for about 15 minutes, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
18. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and season with salt and pepper to taste.
19. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems before serving.
20. Spoon the mash onto plates.
21. Top with the roasted sausage and a generous ladle of onion gravy.
22. Serve with peas on the side.