Smoky bangers and beans
Course: Main CourseDifficulty: MediumServings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
1
hourIf there’s one dish that my family requests from me at least once every single week, it’s my signature smoky bangers and beans. In all honesty, I really don’t mind because it’s one of my favorite comfort foods so any excuse for me to make it and I jump at the chance.
Everybody has their own personal favorite comfort foods, you know the ones, the ones we eat when we’re feeling cold, sad, fed up, bored, or simply in need of a treat. Some people love a nice cheesy lasagne or bowl of stew. Me? I’ll take my signature smoky bangers and beans every single day of the week.
Combining a sweet and smoky BBQ sauce with rich Italian sausages, smoked bacon, kidney beans, bacon, veggies, and served with crispy and fluffy baked potatoes, this dish is packed full of flavor and nutrition and would make a perfect addition to any BBQ or cook off.
I like to think of this dish as a sort of fusion between Tex Mex and Italian cuisine. It’s rich, it’s hearty, and it’s packed full of vegetables so it’s also very nutritious. You’ve got vitamin A from the carrots, vitamin C from the bell peppers, garlic, and onion, fibre from the kidney beans, protein from the meat, healthy fats from the olive oil, and energy-boosting carbs from the potatoes.
Interestingly, the sausages in this dish are called ‘bangers’ because of an old English colloquial term that dates all the way back to food rationing during the First and Second World Wars. Because meat was so scarce, to plump the sausages up, manufacturers would inject them with water. When the sausages were cooked in hot fat, the water inside them would boil and would cause the sausages to basically burst open and explode. Because the “explosion” was so violent, sausages became known as ‘bangers.’ To this day, bangers and mash is one of the most popular dishes in England.
Don’t worry, though, the Italian sausages in my dish won’t burst open or explode, and they are certainly not injected with water. In fact, the only thing they are full of, is flavor.
Made with a rich and smoky tomato and BBQ sauce, the veggies give this dish plenty of nutrients, along with heaps of flavor, color, and a nice crunchy texture. The richness of the sausages cuts through the acidity and sweetness of the sauce perfectly and the fresh basil and oregano at the end really gives the dish an aromatic, pungent, sweet, and slightly spicy flavor.
You can use dried herbs instead, in which case you should add them during the cooking process, rather than at the end. Dried herbs still taste nice, but I recommend you try to source fresh herbs instead. Fresh oregano may be harder to find, but fresh basil is readily available so use one at the very least.
To get your potatoes nice and crispy, after softening them, give them a generous coating in olive oil and sea salt, and always put them into a pre-heated oven.
I recommend serving this one pot wonder straight from the oven. The longer you leave your potatoes, the softer they will become as they steam. You want them crispy and crunchy for a nice texture. Serve with your freshly baked potatoes, scatter over a handful of green onions for garnish, and tuck in before everybody else gets there first!
Everybody has their own personal favorite comfort foods, you know the ones, the ones we eat when we’re feeling cold, sad, fed up, bored, or simply in need of a treat. Some people love a nice cheesy lasagne or bowl of stew. Me? I’ll take my signature smoky bangers and beans every single day of the week.
Combining a sweet and smoky BBQ sauce with rich Italian sausages, smoked bacon, kidney beans, bacon, veggies, and served with crispy and fluffy baked potatoes, this dish is packed full of flavor and nutrition and would make a perfect addition to any BBQ or cook off.
I like to think of this dish as a sort of fusion between Tex Mex and Italian cuisine. It’s rich, it’s hearty, and it’s packed full of vegetables so it’s also very nutritious. You’ve got vitamin A from the carrots, vitamin C from the bell peppers, garlic, and onion, fibre from the kidney beans, protein from the meat, healthy fats from the olive oil, and energy-boosting carbs from the potatoes.
Interestingly, the sausages in this dish are called ‘bangers’ because of an old English colloquial term that dates all the way back to food rationing during the First and Second World Wars. Because meat was so scarce, to plump the sausages up, manufacturers would inject them with water. When the sausages were cooked in hot fat, the water inside them would boil and would cause the sausages to basically burst open and explode. Because the “explosion” was so violent, sausages became known as ‘bangers.’ To this day, bangers and mash is one of the most popular dishes in England.
Don’t worry, though, the Italian sausages in my dish won’t burst open or explode, and they are certainly not injected with water. In fact, the only thing they are full of, is flavor.
Made with a rich and smoky tomato and BBQ sauce, the veggies give this dish plenty of nutrients, along with heaps of flavor, color, and a nice crunchy texture. The richness of the sausages cuts through the acidity and sweetness of the sauce perfectly and the fresh basil and oregano at the end really gives the dish an aromatic, pungent, sweet, and slightly spicy flavor.
You can use dried herbs instead, in which case you should add them during the cooking process, rather than at the end. Dried herbs still taste nice, but I recommend you try to source fresh herbs instead. Fresh oregano may be harder to find, but fresh basil is readily available so use one at the very least.
To get your potatoes nice and crispy, after softening them, give them a generous coating in olive oil and sea salt, and always put them into a pre-heated oven.
I recommend serving this one pot wonder straight from the oven. The longer you leave your potatoes, the softer they will become as they steam. You want them crispy and crunchy for a nice texture. Serve with your freshly baked potatoes, scatter over a handful of green onions for garnish, and tuck in before everybody else gets there first!
Ingredients
500 g (1 lb) boiled kidney beans
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
12 Italian pork sausages
800 g (1.7 lbs) small baby potatoes
2 celery stalks, diced
4 small carrots, finely chopped
1 red pepper cut into strips
400 g (0.9 lb) tomato paste
1 onion chopped
5 minced garlic cloves
5 stalks chopped green onions
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp barbecue sauce
75 g (2.67 oz) smoked bacon
1/3 cup fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dry basil)
1/3 cup fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dry)
Directions
- Pierce potatoes with a fork and microwave for 5 minutes
- Remove from the microwave and let them cool down a bit. Then, put them in a mixing bag. Salt and add 1 tbsp olive oil, mix everything well.
- Put potatoes in the oven to bake at 220 degrees C° (428 F) for 50 minutes or until they turn golden. Flip the potatoes occasionally to the other side so that they are baked evenly.
- While the potatoes are baking, saute the sausages in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown. This will take about 15 minutes, constantly flip the sausages so that they are cooked evenly. When finished, transfer to a separate plate and set aside.
- Cut the bacon into squares and saute it in the same skillet until crispy, it should be dark brown. Transfer the bacon to a plate and set aside.
- Add more oil, then garlic, carrots, celery, and onions to the same skillet. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. If there is not enough oil, add a little more.
- Add bell pepper, tomato paste, smoked paprika and 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) of water to the vegetables and cook for about 5 more minutes. Salt to taste. If you are using dry basil and oregano, add them now.
- Add the sausages and beans to the skillet and cook for 5 more minutes.
- At the very end, add fresh basil and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Serve this delicious dish with baked potatoes. Garnish with green onions
