Bangers with Ale and Caramelised Onion Gravy

Method

1. Halve the onions and slice them very thinly. Melt the butter in a 20 cm heavy frying pan or sauté pan over medium-low heat, add the onions with the salt and thyme sprigs and cook for 28 min, stirring every few minutes. Whenever brown bits stick to the pan, add 1 tablespoon of water and scrape them up. Sprinkle in the sugar for the last 5 minutes. The onions are ready when soft, jammy and the colour of dark caramel. Start the potatoes as soon as the onions are on.

   Add in this stepButter (for the onions) 20 gOnions, thinly sliced 1½Salt (for the onions) 1 pinchLight brown sugar ½ tspFresh thyme sprigs 2

   medium-low heat

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into even 5 cm pieces. Put them in a 18 cm pot, cover with cold water by 2 cm and add the salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, then lower to medium-low heat so the water barely bubbles (a rolling boil breaks up the outside before the centre is done). Cook for 22 min in total, until a knife slides in with no resistance.

   Add in this stepFloury potatoes 500 gSalt (for the cooking water) 1 tsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Heat the oil in a 24 cm ovenproof frying pan over medium heat and brown the sausages for 7 min, turning them, until evenly golden all over. Transfer the pan to the oven (oven) for 12 min, until a thermometer pushed into the centre of a sausage reads 72 °C. Gentle oven heat cooks them through without splitting the skins.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tspButcher's pork sausages (thick, coarse-ground) 4

   medium heat→oven

4. Remove the thyme stalks from the onions and stir in the flour for 1 minute. Pour in the ale, scraping the bottom of the pan, and let it bubble over medium-high heat for 3 min, until reduced by about half and the raw beer smell has gone. Add the hot stock and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 6 min, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Take the pan off the heat and swirl in the cold butter a few cubes at a time for a silky shine. Season to taste.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 2 tspAle or dark beer 120 mlHot beef stock 200 mlWorcestershire sauce 1 tspCold butter, diced (to finish the gravy) 10 g

   medium-high heat

5. Drain the potatoes and let them steam-dry in the colander for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in a small pan until steaming. Press the potatoes through a ricer or fine sieve into the empty pot, set it over low heat and, with a wooden spoon, beat in the butter a few cubes at a time, then the hot milk and cream, for 2 min, until smooth and glossy. Season with salt and white pepper.

   Add in this stepButter, diced (for the mash) 75 gWhole milk 60 mlDouble (heavy) cream 40 mlSalt (for the mash) to tasteWhite pepper to taste

   low heat

6. Rest the sausages for 3 min after they come out of the oven, then slice them on the diagonal or leave them whole. Spread a swoosh of mash on warm plates, add the sausages, spoon over the gravy and finish with chives.

   Add in this stepChives, finely snipped 1 tbsp