Bangers and apple mash recipe

This bangers and apple mash recipe gives a lovely twist to one of our favourite suppers. 

Adding apple to the mashed potatoes really livens up the flavour, and makes it an even better match for the pork. Plus it counts towards another portion of your five-a-day fruit and veg, and the more you get of those, the better. Serve with fresh greens like broccoli or French beans and watch it disappear in minutes. This is a lovely cheap and cheerful meal. Even if you go for quite fancy sausages, it still won't break the budget - it's one of our best cheap family meals. 

Ingredients

• 8 pork sausages
• 700g potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 (650g) dessert apples
• 15g butter
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 tbsp instant gravy mix
• Salt and pepper, to season

Method

1. Cook the sausages to your liking (we find it's easiest to grill them).
2. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large pan with just enough water to cover and season with salt. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 10 mins.
3. Peel and quarter 2 of the apples and add to the potatoes, simmer for 5 mins or until both are tender. Drain, reserving 1pt of the cooking liquid and mash with the butter. Season to taste.
4. Heat the oil in a medium pan, add the onion and sauté for 5 mins or until golden.
5. Quarter, core and grate the remaining apple add to the onions and sauté for a further 6-8 mins or until tender and golden. Add the reserved cooking liquid and gravy mix and stir well until the gravy thickens. Serve the mash and gravy alongside the bangers.

Top tip for making bangers and apple mash

Swirl a little wholegrain mustard into the mash as well for extra zing.

What is a dessert apple?

Otherwise known as an 'eating apple', these are apples that are normally eaten raw and have a sweeter flavour. Common varieties include Cox's Orange Pippin, Golden Delicious, Granny Smiths, Braeburn, Gala, Jazz and Pink Lady. Cooking apples (usually Bramley apples) are tarter, and hold their shape better when cooked in pies and crumbles. Of course, with mash, there is no need for them to hold their shape.