Cumberland sausages with mash recipe

Tasty sausages served with ham and cabbage mash and a delicious onion gravy

Ingredients

• 30g (1oz) butter
• 4 Cumberland sausages
• 2 medium onions, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges
• About 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 150ml (¼ pint) Marsala, Madeira or red wine
• 400ml (¾ pint) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mash:

• 1kg (2¼lb) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• Good knob of butter
• ½ small Savoy cabbage, finely shredded
• 4 slices Parma ham, cut into strips

Method

1. Melt the butter in a heavy roasting tin over a medium heat. Add sausages and brown them all over. Take them out of the tin and set aside. Add onion wedges to the tin and cook them slowly, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and softened — about 15 mins.
2. Meanwhile, set the oven to gas mark 4 or 180°C.
3. When onions are softened, turn up the heat; add the juniper berries and thyme sprigs. While the onions are sizzling, sprinkle in the flour and let it cook for a minute or two, stirring to stop the onions burning but letting them brown. Pour in the Marsala, Madeira or red wine, then the stock, and bring to the boil, so that the gravy thickens. Put sausages back into the tin and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 30-40 mins. Stir in the mustard and season to taste.
4. To make the mash: Add the potatoes to a pan of boiling water and cook until tender. Drain — reserving the water for cooking the cabbage — add the butter and mash well. Cook the cabbage in the potato water for about 5 mins, then drain well. Heat a small frying pan and fry the strips of Parma ham until crispy (add a little oil if necessary).
5. Serve the sausages with the mash, topped with cabbage and ham strips, and spoon the onions and gravy round.