Halloween is on the horizon, Bonfire Night is just around the corner – and the increasingly chilly nights are calling out for bangers (aka, sausages) and beans, which I’ve elevated, in this recipe, to a slightly more complex version of a beef, sausage and bean casserole.
Prefer a veggie version? Plant-based sausages, lardons, mince and stock are all readily available, and all adapt well to this marvellous medley of campfire-inspired flavours.
Jacket potatoes or creamy mash are perfect partners for your bangers’n’beans – or you could griddle the cut side of six hot dog rolls and fill each one with two sausages topped with the beans and the cheese to create a Bonfire Night ‘Sloppy Joe’.
Leftover beans make a delicious brunch topped with fried eggs or will freeze well in a sealed tub for up to six months (defrost thoroughly before reheating)
Ingredients (serves 4)
8 high-quality pork sausages
150g smoked bacon lardons
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
250g beef mince
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 heaped tsp sweet paprika
100ml bourbon whisky (optional)
2 tbsp black treacle
1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
600ml beef stock
To serve: jacket or mashed potatoes; smoked cheddar cheese, grated
Method
Drizzle a little vegetable oil into a large pan or casserole dish and place on the hob over a medium heat. Add the lardons and sausages to the pan and, as soon as both have started to turn golden-brown, transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set to one side.
Sauté the onion and pepper in the pre-heated pan for around 10 minutes or until softened (you may have to add a little bit more oil), then add the mince and continue to fry until the meat is deep brown and starting to turn a bit ‘gnarly’, adding the garlic and sweet paprika for the last couple of minutes.
Add the bourbon or rye whiskey (if using) and allow to bubble down for a minute or so, stirring to pick up any crusty bits that have collected on the base of the pan as you go. Add the black treacle, beans and stock and stir thoroughly to combine. Plop the browned lardons and sausages back into the mix, briefly bring to the boil and simmer, stirring very regularly to stop it catching on the bottom, for about 25-30 minutes by which time the sauce should have reduced and thickened and the sausages thoroughly cooked through.
Serve accompanied by jacket or mashed potatoes or in hot dog rolls, sprinkled with the smoked cheese. Bangin’!
