Bangers and Mash

Since my oldest daughter just returned from England, I asked her if she had Bangers and Mash when she was over there. She said no so I asked her if she saw it on the menu. She said yes but she didn't know what it was. My Dad said she never asked. My Dad said Bangers and Mash is a common pub dish. 

I told my daughter that Bangers and Mash is sausage and mashed potatoes. She said she would have ate it if she had known. My family really liked this dish very much. It is an easy dish to make. The sausage and potatoes are served with a sauce or gravy. I will admit that I don't know how authentic my dishes will be this week but they taste good. The traditional gravy is made with a stock but when I went into the pantry I couldn't find any. The meal was done and I didn't feel like having anyone wait so I decided to make ours cheesy.

Bangers and Mash
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 links beef sausage
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp flour
4 cups milk
 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water.
2. Bring the potatoes to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. In a skillet, add the oil and heat over medium heat.
4. Add the sausage to the skillet and brown.
5. Remove the sausage and place on a plate to the side.
6. To the skillet, add the onion to the pan. Cook the onion until soft about 5 minutes.
7. Add the flour to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. 
8. Whisk in the milk to the skillet and return the sausage to the pan.
9. Cook the sausage for about 15 minutes until the liquid is reduce to the desired consistency. Stirring occasionally. 
10. Stir in the cheese.
11. When the potatoes are done, drain the potatoes and mash.
12. To the mashed potatoes, add the butter, milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. 
13. To serve, place the mashed potatoes on a plate. Place the sausage on top of the potatoes. Cover the sausage and potatoes with the cheese sauce. 

Recipe adapted from Foodnetwork. com.

Did you already know...
-Bangers and Mash is a traditional English meal. 
-Bangers and Mash are often served with an onion gravy.
-A popular side to Bangers and Mash is peas.

Life is good

At dinner time, we ask everyone what their favorite part of their day. Normally, our teenager has the most to tell us which is very nice. The other day my son said he wanted to tell us two favorite parts of his day. Afterwards, he decided to give everyone a hug including his older sister. 

When he sat back down, he said, "Oh, I forgot one person." Then he gave himself a big hug. It is nice that he thinks life is good. The day we had these potatoes skins life was good. My oldest daughter made them. She did a great job!

PW's Potato Skins
8 slices of bacon
8 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup sour cream
4 green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook the bacon and then chop into small pieces.
3. Rub the cleaned potatoes with the vegetable oil and place on a baking pan.
4. Bake the potatoes for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
5. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise.
6. Scope out the inner potato but leave a small area of potato on the skin.
7. Brush both sides of the potato with oil and salt liberally.
8. Place the skins cut side down onto the baking pan and bake for 7 more minutes.
9. Flip the potatoes over and bake for another 7 minutes or until the skin is crispy.
10. Sprinkle cheese into each potato and then top with bacon.
11. Return the potatoes to the oven until the cheese melts.
12. Serve each potato with sour cream topped with green onions. 

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook.

Did you already know......
-Potatoes are native to South America.
-Potatoes first arrived in the U.S. in 1621 when the Gov. of Bermuda sent a chest full of vegetables to the Gov. of Virginia.
-Potatoes weren't first cultivated in the U.S. until Scottish immigrants planted them in 1719 in NH.

Breakfast Potatoes

For awhile, my husband was taking us out for breakfast. The best thing about eating breakfast out is everyone gets to pick what they want. With the holidays, we tend to stay home more plus it is cold outside. 

Growing up, my Mom would make potatoes for breakfast. She would use leftover potatoes that she had saved the night before. I like her way of thinking. Since I had Yukon gold potatoes, I had precooked the potatoes the night before knowing I would finish them for breakfast. I have made this recipe with russet potatoes before and they are just as good. 

Breakfast Potatoes Recipe

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp water
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter, unsalted

Directions:

1. In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the potatoes and cook for about five minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the water to the skillet and cover the potatoes for 2 minutes.
5. Let potatoes cool and store in the refrigerator until morning or continue to the next step.
6. Add butter to a skillet and let melt.
7. Add the onions and stir occasionally for 2 minutes.
8. To the skillet, add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are brown.

 Recipe adapted from my Mom's recipe.

Did you already know..............
-Potatoes originated from South America.
-Potatoes are the fourth largest crop in the world.
-The potato was introduced to Europe by the Spanish around 1570.
-The leaves of a potato are poisonous.