Name: Sausage and Mash with Onion Gravy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 value pork sausages; 500g potatoes, peeled and cubed; 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp plain flour; 300ml beef or vegetable stock; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 30g butter; 50ml milk; 1 tsp dried thyme; salt and pepper

Sausage and Mash with Onion Gravy

Sausage and mash is proper British comfort food. The kind of meal that makes you feel like everything is going to be alright. Value sausages cost around £1.20 for a pack of 8, potatoes are about 15p each, and the onion gravy is made from ingredients that cost virtually nothing. At 85p per portion this is cheaper than any pub meal and honestly better than most of them. The trick is taking time with the onions – that is where all the flavour in the gravy comes from.

Total cost: £3.40 (£0.85 per portion) – Serves 4 people. Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 30 mins

Sausage and Mash with Onion Gravy

The great British pub classic at home. Value sausages, creamy mash and a proper onion gravy that costs pennies to make. Comfort food does not get more authentic than this.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: british

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

6 value pork sausages
500g potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
300ml beef or vegetable stock
1 tbsp vegetable oil
30g butter
50ml milk
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Place the sausages on a baking tray and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes until very tender. Drain well.
Mash the potatoes with the butter and milk until smooth. Season well and keep warm.
While the potatoes boil, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and caramelised.
Sprinkle the flour and thyme over the onions. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until you have a thick gravy. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the sausages on top of the mash with the onion gravy poured over everything.

Tips and Variations

Caramelising the onions properly is what makes this special – do not rush them. Add a spoon of brown sauce or Worcestershire sauce to the gravy for extra depth. Frozen mash is fine if you are really short on time, but homemade mash with plenty of butter is in a different league.

Is it cheaper to make this from scratch? Use our Cook vs Buy Calculator to compare the real cost of homemade vs shop-bought.