bangers & freaking mash.

Not in the 365 Project, but here are some photos from tonight's (and Tuesday) meal. It was so delicious, I was actually craving it hardcore on my way home from work and stopped to get another package (or two) of sausage and gravy mix so I could make it again.......and again. I present you, my new favorite meal:

BANGERS & MASH

Of course I never have a picture of the finished product... haha. But here's the recipe I use. There are others out there that are much  more complicated, but this one is just so quick and easy, even though it calls for making real mashed potatoes... which I had NEVER done before last Tuesday, believe it or not. I mean, REAL potatoes are my favorite, but I had never taught myself to make them. I just used the boxed kind. Well, the entire meal came out absolutely divine. I mean, it's not exactly classy, but it is beyond delicious. Thus cooking it 2 nights in one week. I also had the leftovers for dinner Wednesday, and I'll probably eat the leftovers from tonight's tomorrow! Ohh yeah. Bangers & Mash FTW.

Ingredients

• 8 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 teaspoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup milk, or as needed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds beef sausage
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
• 1 cup water, or as needed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and mash with 1 teaspoon of butter, and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. Continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until heated through. Remove from pan, and set aside. Add remaining teaspoon of butter to the skillet, and fry the onions over medium heat until tender. Mix gravy mix and water as directed on the package, and add to the skillet with the onions. Simmer, stirring constantly, to form a thick gravy.
3. Pour half of the gravy into a square casserole dish so that is coats the bottom. Place sausages in a layer over the gravy (you can butterfly the sausages if you wish). Pour remaining gravy over them, then top with mashed potatoes.
4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until potatoes are evenly brown.

6/365 - Yum!

January 6, 2011 - Pork Chops in hearty gravy

This was SO good. I got home from work Thursday night, exhausted and starving, having been sick all week and subsisting on mostly liquids and soups and whatever I could stomach. We had planned on Todd just baking the pork chops we had thawed and keeping it simple, but I decided I wanted to do something good. I did something I'd never really successfully done before: I pulled out my Betty Crocker cookbook and started looking through the recipes for pork for one I had all (or most) of the ingredients to. I was short the cooking sherry, and Todd had already drank the last of my red cooking wine, so it went without that, but I think that was the only thing! I whipped it together and it was scrumptious. I was so proud of myself.