It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and people around the world claim Irish heritage. I love Irish food, but it’s even better when combined with Swedish food. What would that be called? “Sw-Irish”?
Our family has combined Irish “bangers” with Swedish “rotmos” for many years now.
“Bangers” are pork sausages that supposedly got their name during World War I. Sausages were standard rations for the soldiers, and since the only method of cooking available to them was over an open fire, the sausages exploded with a BANG when heated so quickly. “Mash” is typically only mashed potatoes, so this is where I go a little crazy….
“Rotmos” is a traditional Swedish dish made with all sorts of root vegetables – potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, turnips, carrots – all mashed together, with a generous grating of fresh nutmeg and roasted garlic.
And so, the two cultures marry into one perfectly wonderful dish that conjures up wonderful memories, and keeps my family wonderfully happy. 😋
Above is one of my favourite gardens in Ireland. The one below is a piece of paradise in northern Sweden.
“Bangers” are, sadly, not gluten free. They contain rusk, which is a sort of twice baked bread that is crushed and provides texture to the sausage. Rusk also contributes to the BANG. 🙂
Even though bangers can be baked, the traditional way to cook them is in a pan. Heat them “low and slow”, unless you want the sausage to BANG all over your kitchen. This may take up to 40 minutes, but you will be hanging around “the hob” anyway, peeling and cutting all those lovely root vegetables.
Once the bangers reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees and are a deeply beautiful brown, remove them from the pan and allow them to sit on a paper towel for a few minutes to absorb some extra grease.
Mash the veggies with a little butter and cream, seasoning with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Don’t over-mash the veggies or you will miss seeing all the beautiful colours.
Served with a simple pea shoots salad, this becomes a fun, festive “Sw-Irish” dinner for 2.
PrintBangers & Mash
Ingredients
- 1 package Irish bangers (or similar pork sausage)
- 3–5 potatoes – russets are best
- 2 parsnips
- 1 turnip
- 1 rutabaga
- 3–4 carrots
- 1–2 sweet potatoes
- 4–6 cloves roasted garlic
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Begin browning the bangers over low-medium heat – on my induction cooktop 3 was the perfect setting
- Roll bangers every couple minutes so they develop a deep brown colouring on all sides
- Peel the root vegetables and cut into pieces
- Boil veggies until tender
- Drain, and then mash with butter and cream, add the roasted garlic, then stir in nutmeg and season to taste. Don’t over-mash or you will miss all the beautiful colours.
- When bangers reach 170 degrees internal temperature, allow them to rest on a papertowel for a few moments before serving
