Mash to the Future is £10 on our menu: three sausages laid on a mountain of cheesy mash, loaded with creamy gravy and finished with a fried egg. It is the most-ordered thing in our Mashed Up section and it is not complicated — it is just done properly. This is the home version, on the table in about 40 minutes.
The mash is the reason it works. Maris Pipers, warm milk, a lot of butter, mature cheddar and a spoonful of cream cheese, which gives you a texture closer to a sauce than a side dish. The gravy is built on onions cooked slowly until they are sweet and deep gold, then loosened with stock and softened with cream. The fried egg on top is not decoration: the yolk runs into the mash and does something very good.
Nothing here is difficult. The only skill involved is patience with the onions, and not being shy with the seasoning.
Why this recipe works
- The potatoes start in cold water. Dropping them into boiling water cooks the outsides to mush before the middles are done. Cold water, brought up together, gives you evenly cooked potatoes that mash smoothly.
- The drained potatoes steam dry for two minutes. Water is the enemy of good mash. Two minutes in the colander lets the surface moisture evaporate, and the mash takes far more butter and cheese as a result.
- Cream cheese alongside the cheddar. Cheddar brings flavour but can go stringy. Cream cheese brings a smooth, slightly tangy body that keeps the mash glossy and stops it stiffening as it cools.
- The onions get 12 to 15 minutes on a low heat. This is where all the sweetness in the gravy comes from. Rushed onions make thin, savoury gravy. Slow onions make gravy people talk about.
- The sausages are coloured slowly. Fifteen to eighteen minutes over a medium heat gives you an even, deep brown skin and a juicy centre. Hot and fast splits the skins and dries them out.
Ingredient notes
Potatoes. Maris Piper, every time. They are floury enough to mash light and fluffy without going watery. King Edward and Desiree also work. Avoid new or salad potatoes, which turn waxy and gluey when mashed. This recipe uses a lot of potato — 1.2kg — because a loaded mash bowl is a main course, not a side.
Mature cheddar. Use a strong one and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and that starch makes mash slightly grainy. A mature or extra-mature block cheddar gives you flavour without needing a huge amount.
Cream cheese. Full-fat, plain, the ordinary supermarket tub kind. Fifty grams is enough to change the texture completely.
English mustard powder. Half a teaspoon in the mash. You will not taste mustard, you will taste more cheese. It is one of the oldest tricks in British cheese cookery and it works.
Sausages. Buy the best you can. A sausage with a high meat content browns better, shrinks less and does not leak water into the pan. Three per person is the Mash to the Future count.
Double cream in the gravy. Seventy-five millilitres, stirred in at the end off a rolling boil. This is what makes it creamy onion gravy rather than plain onion gravy. Single cream will split more easily, so keep the heat low if that is what you have.
Substitutions and variations
Vegetarian sausages. Most cook faster than pork, so follow the packet and add them to the pan later. Use vegetable stock in the gravy and leave out the Worcestershire sauce, which usually contains anchovy. Made this way the dish is vegetarian, but check every label yourself before serving it as such.
Swap the sausages for crispy chicken. Sliced chicken tenders on cheesy mash with creamy gravy is closer to the Tummy Hug end of our menu, and it is excellent.
Bangers and mash for children. Halve the portion, skip the fried egg and make the gravy without mustard. This is essentially our Cozy Kids Bangers and Mash.
No cream? Use 50ml of whole milk and an extra knob of butter whisked in at the end. Slightly less rich, still good.
Add crispy onions. A handful of shop-bought crispy fried onions scattered over the top gives you the crunch that we add in the restaurant, and takes ten seconds.
Step-by-step guidance
The full method is in the recipe card below. These are the parts where it is worth paying attention.
The onions. Halve them and slice finely, then melt the butter in a wide pan rather than a deep one so moisture can escape. Add the sugar with the onions — it is not there to sweeten, it is there to encourage browning. Cook on a low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. You are waiting for them to collapse, turn a deep golden brown and smell sweet rather than sharp. If they are catching, the heat is too high; add a tablespoon of water and turn it down.
The gravy. Stir the flour into the onions and cook it for a full minute to lose the raw flour taste. Then add the stock gradually, stirring as you go, so it thickens smoothly instead of going lumpy. Simmer for five minutes, then stir the cream in over a low heat. If it looks thin, let it bubble gently for another minute or two; it will thicken.
The mash. Mash the potatoes thoroughly before anything goes in — lumps are much harder to remove once there is butter and cheese in there. A potato ricer gives the best texture if you have one. Then beat in warm milk (cold milk chills the potatoes and makes the mash claggy), butter, cream cheese and mustard powder. Add the cheddar last and stir just until it melts into ribbons. Season generously with salt and white pepper, taste, and season again. Under-seasoned mash is the most common failure here.
The eggs. Fry them in a little oil over a medium heat until the whites are fully set and the edges are lightly crisp, but the yolks are still soft. Slide one onto each bowl at the last moment.
Professional tips
- Salt the potato water properly. It should taste like a well-seasoned soup. Potatoes only take on salt while they are cooking.
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. It makes a noticeable difference to the final texture.
- Make a well in the middle of the mash before the gravy goes on. It holds the gravy instead of letting it run off the sides.
- Keep the gravy on the lowest possible heat once the cream is in. A hard boil can make it split.
- Warm the bowls. Mash cools fast, and a cold bowl takes the edge off the whole thing.
- If the mash stiffens while you are finishing the eggs, beat in a splash more warm milk to bring it back.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Solution | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash is gluey and elastic | Over-worked, or a food processor was used | Nothing will fix it — serve it as it is | Mash by hand or with a ricer, and stop as soon as it is smooth |
| Mash is watery | Potatoes were not steam-dried after draining | Return to the dry pan over a low heat and stir for a minute | Leave the drained potatoes in the colander for two minutes |
| Mash tastes bland | Under-salted water and under-seasoned at the end | Season with salt and white pepper and taste again | Salt the water well and season in stages |
| Gravy is lumpy | Stock added too quickly after the flour | Whisk hard, or pass it through a sieve | Add the stock gradually, stirring continuously |
| Gravy split or looks curdled | Cream was added over too high a heat | Take it off the heat and whisk in a splash of cold stock | Add the cream on the lowest heat and do not boil it afterwards |
| Sausages burst and dried out | Pan too hot | Serve them anyway, and add a spoonful of extra gravy | Medium heat, 15 to 18 minutes, turning often |
| Cheese made the mash grainy | Pre-grated cheese, or the mash was too hot when it went in | Beat in a little more cream cheese | Grate block cheddar yourself and stir it in off the heat |
What to serve with it
This is a very filling bowl, so anything alongside should be sharp or green. Buttered greens, garden peas or a plain rocket salad with lemon all cut through the richness. Baked beans on the side is the classic move and no one will judge you for it.
If you are feeding a group and want something to start with, crispy naga chilli sliced potatoes work well because the heat resets your palate between mouthfuls of mash. There are more comfort-food ideas in our loaded potato and mash recipes.
Storage and reheating
Cool everything quickly and get it into the fridge within two hours, in line with standard UK food safety guidance.
Mash keeps in a covered container in the fridge for up to two days. Reheat it in a pan over a low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, until piping hot — the microwave works too, but stir it halfway. Gravy keeps for up to two days and reheats well; add a little stock if it has thickened too much. Cooked sausages keep for up to two days and are best reheated in a pan or oven rather than a microwave, which makes the skins rubbery. Fry eggs fresh each time.
Freezing: the gravy freezes for up to three months, although it may need a good whisk when reheated because of the cream. Cheesy mash can be frozen for up to a month but comes back slightly grainier — beat in extra butter and warm milk to bring it round. Do not freeze the cooked sausages if they were previously frozen raw.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make the mash ahead?
Yes. Make it up to a day ahead, cover it and refrigerate. Reheat over a low heat with a splash of warm milk and beat it well. It will not be quite as light as freshly made but it is very close.
Can I oven-cook the sausages instead?
Yes, and it is easier if you are making a bigger batch. Twenty-five minutes at 200°C, turning once. You lose the pan juices, so add a little extra Worcestershire sauce to the gravy.
What is the best masher to use?
A potato ricer gives the smoothest result by a clear margin. A standard hand masher is perfectly good. Never use a food processor or a stick blender — they turn potato starch elastic and you end up with wallpaper paste.
How much does this actually serve?
Two very generous restaurant-sized portions, or three normal ones. If you are feeding children, it will stretch to four.
Can I use gravy granules?
You can, and it will be fine, but you will miss the slow-cooked onions which are the best part. If you are short of time, cook the onions as described and simply use granules with hot water instead of stock and flour, then stir the cream in.
Is the fried egg necessary?
No, but it is how we plate it. The yolk running into the cheesy mash is the reason people order it twice.
Can I add cheese to the top and grill it?
Yes. Scatter another 40g of cheddar over the mash and put it under a hot grill for three or four minutes before the sausages and gravy go on. It gives you a browned, slightly chewy top.
PrintSausage and Cheesy Mash with Creamy Onion Gravy
- Total Time40 minutes
- Yield2 very generous bowls, or 3 normal portions 1x
Three sausages on a mountain of cheesy mash, drowned in creamy onion gravy and crowned with a fried egg. This is comfort food at full volume, and it is on the table in 40 minutes.
Ingredients
For the cheesy mash
- 1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
- 100ml whole milk, warmed
- 75g salted butter
- 120g mature cheddar, grated
- 50g cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp English mustard powder
- Salt and white pepper
For the creamy onion gravy
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 2 large onions, halved and finely sliced
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 400ml beef or chicken stock
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 75ml double cream
To serve
- 6 good pork sausages
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp oil, for frying
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
Instructions
- Put the potatoes into cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Starting them in cold water is what stops the outsides collapsing before the middles cook.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausages. Colour them slowly in a frying pan over a medium heat for 15 to 18 minutes, turning often, or roast at 200C for 25 minutes. Slow and steady beats hot and fast every time.
- For the gravy, melt the butter in a wide pan, add the onions and sugar and cook over a low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft, sweet and deep gold. Do not rush this, it is where the flavour lives.
- Stir the flour into the onions and cook for 1 minute, then gradually pour in the stock, stirring, until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir the cream into the gravy and keep it warm over the lowest heat.
- Drain the potatoes and leave them in the colander for 2 minutes to steam dry. Wet potatoes make gluey mash.
- Mash thoroughly, then beat in the warm milk, butter, cream cheese and mustard powder. Add the cheddar and stir until it melts into ribbons. Season generously.
- Fry the eggs in a little oil until the whites are set and the edges are crisp but the yolks are still soft.
- Pile the mash into warm bowls, make a well in the middle, lay the sausages on top and ladle over the onion gravy.
- Slide a fried egg on top of each bowl, scatter with spring onions and take it straight to the table.
Notes
Make ahead. Both the mash and the gravy can be made a day in advance. Cool them quickly, chill within two hours and reheat until piping hot, in line with standard UK food safety guidance. Loosen the mash with a splash of warm milk as you reheat it.
The mistake to avoid. Rushing the onions. Twelve to fifteen minutes on a low heat is where all the sweetness in the gravy comes from. If they are catching, add a tablespoon of water and turn the heat down.
Grate your own cheddar. Pre-grated cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and that starch makes mash slightly grainy. A block of mature cheddar grated by hand melts into ribbons instead.
Vegetarian version. Use vegetarian sausages, vegetable stock and leave out the Worcestershire sauce, which usually contains anchovy. Check every label yourself before serving it as vegetarian.
Feeding children? Halve the portion, skip the fried egg and leave the mustard out of the gravy. That is essentially our Cozy Kids Bangers and Mash.
Equipment. A large saucepan for the potatoes, a wide frying pan for the onions and gravy, a second frying pan for the sausages, a small pan for the eggs, a potato ricer or hand masher, a box grater, and two deep bowls warmed before serving.
Allergens. This recipe contains milk, wheat (gluten), egg, mustard and sulphites. Sausages very often contain wheat, and Worcestershire sauce usually contains fish (anchovy). Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.
This is a home recipe inspired by Mash to the Future at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.
Let us load the bowl instead
Peeling 1.2kg of potatoes is a commitment. Mash to the Future is on our menu at 172 Biscot Road in Luton for £10, sausages, gravy, fried egg and all. Order for collection or delivery, or have a look at the full Mashed Up range — Tummy Hug and Ramen Smash live in the same section.
If you make it at home, rate the recipe below. We are always interested in whose mash wins.
More from our kitchen: the same cheesy mash sits under our creamy chicken cheesy mash bowl. For pudding, chocolate fudge cake with warm custard.
Newer From Our Kitchen
The mash under this dish deserves its own page, and it has one — our best cheesy mash covers the steam-drying and warm dairy steps that stop mash going gluey. For the same mash in different formats, see the loaded egg roll and the Ramen Smash.