Meet my newest love: low carb bangers and mash.

For one!

You probably are unaware of this, but my toddler and I are currently gallivanting around the United Kingdom. Yes. Gallivanting (hence the lack of posts).

Probably eating our fair share of English and Scottish cuisine.  Or at least my fair share.  Since she’s two and would live off of pizza and chocolate if I allowed it.

Also, if you haven’t caught on to the trend yet, I’m pretty obsessive when it comes to food.  So, it’s no surprise that as I’m currently across the pond (in England and Scotland, specifically), that I would be sharing recipes from this region.

Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional dish in the British Isles consisting of sausages, mashed potatoes, onion gravy, and – what seems most common – peas. However, I’ve taken this classic comfort food and made it low carb.  And to serve one (although it is easily multiplied if you’re feeding more!).

Where in the world do “bangers” come from, you ask?  Well, (Daily Mail quote) – “after the outbreak of World War I, food shortages led to a dramatic reduction of meat, of any sort, in sausages.  Instead, producers packed them out with scraps, cereal, and water, which caused them to pop and hiss when cooked on shovels over open fires in the trenches of northern Europe – hence ‘bangers'”.  Interesting tidbit, isn’t it?

Whatever you want to call it, this meal is delicious!  I seriously don’t know why it has taken me so long to eat this meal, and why everyone else isn’t eating it already?  It took 30 minutes to make this from start to finish.  And really – the cauliflower mash that I used is so darn good, you won’t even miss those potatoes!

(Low Carb) Bangers and Mash for One

serves: 1 * calories: 598 * fat(g): 46.8 * protein (g): 26.6 * carbs(g): 17.3 * net carbs(g): 11.9 

for the sausage & gravy:

• 2 traditional pork sausages
• 1/2 c. sliced onions
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. beef broth
• 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• salt & pepper, to season

Cook the sausages over medium heat until they are browned and cooked through.  Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.  Add the sliced onions, olive oil, and butter to the same pan and cook until the onions are browned and softened (about 5-7 minutes).  Add beef broth and heavy cream, and cook until the gravy has reduced by half and slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the sausages back into the pan with the onion gravy and cook a couple more minutes until the sausages are heated through.

for the cauliflower mash:

• 1.5 c. frozen cauliflower florets
• 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. cheddar cheese

Put the frozen cauliflower florets into a microwave safe bowl, and put in the microwave for 5 minutes.  Add cooked cauliflower, butter, and heavy cream into food processor and process until smooth.  Remove the blade from your food processor, add the cheddar cheese, and microwave for a minute*.  Insert the blade back into the processor, and process once more until smooth.

to assemble:

Spoon cauliflower mash onto bowl.  Place sausages on top. Pour onion gravy over that.  Serve.

drink pairing: 

Beer.  We cut down on the carbs in your meal so you can drink your carbs. Ha! You want something crisp but not too floral. Like Samuel Adam’s Cold Snap.  However, you can also serve it with red wine and keep that carb count low.