Bangers And Biscuits
 | Author:
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press |
Bangers and biscuits
An Irish-inspired dish for St. Paddy’s Day.
This recipe by Jon Bennion was originally published in the Montana Free Press on March
12, 2025 and is published here courtesy of the Montana Free Press.
If you’re planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional Irish meal, chances are it will be corned beef and cabbage. If that’s your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, stick with the classic. But if you’re feeling lucky and want to try something new come March 17, you should go with this Irish bangers and biscuits.
This recipe blends an American classic — biscuits and gravy — with several nods to Irish flavors. The buttermilk biscuits with Irish white cheddar and scallion are a fluffier, lighter version of soda bread. They have perfectly soft layers on the inside and just a touch of buttery crispness on the outside. The scallion and Irish cheddar are both additions that will make your mouth happy.
The sausages are named after “bangers,” an Irish and English classic with a mild flavor reminiscent of bratwurst. Bangers got their name when sausages during World War I contained fillers like water and breadcrumbs, which often caused the casings to burst when soldiers cooked them. Bangers and mash (for mashed potatoes) is still a common meal in England and Ireland.
The subtly delicious flavors of this recipe’s sausage come from a blend of herbs and spices that many of you may not have handy in your spice cabinet or fridge. I always use kosher salt, and the proportions go down if you use regular table salt. Fresh sage and thyme are a great duo of herbs that aren’t too far off from the breakfast sausages many Americans are used to. White pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger, onion powder, mace and brown sugar give this homemade sausage its unique and non-overpowering character. The only one that can be difficult to buy in stores is mace, but it can be found wherever bulk spices are sold or online.
You’ll be safe from exploding sausages with this homemade recipe since no casings are required and the fillers are left out. As I’ve explained in previous homemade sausage columns, the key is buying freshly ground pork from your local butcher. You should look for around 20% fat in the mixture, otherwise your sausage will be too dry and lack flavor.
Even if your menu plan is full for St. Paddy’s Day, this is a great breakfast or brunch meal that’s sure to please a lot of palates in your life, Irish and otherwise.
BISCUITS AND BANGERS RECIPE
Serves 6-8
Biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 stick of butter, plus 1 tbsp for brushing the tops
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 chopped scallions
3 ounces Irish cheddar
Bangers:
1 pound freshly ground pork
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh sage leaves
1/4 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Gravy:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk or 2% milk
salt and pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
optional: more scallion for topping
The one thing the biscuits and the sausage have in common is you want both of them to be cold as you prepare them. For the sausage, mince the sage and thyme leaves and add to the pork in a large bowl. Add the rest of the seasonings and mix well. Fry up a tiny portion to check for seasoning levels and adjust according to your preferences. Put back into the refrigerator until it’s time to cook the sausage.
For the biscuits, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl. Cube the cold butter into 1/4-inch pieces and add to the dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers, smash the butter into the dry ingredients until no large butter pieces remain in the mixture. Place back in the refrigerator, and take out your Irish cheddar and scallion. Finely chop the scallions and cube the cheese into pieces no larger than 1/4 inch.
Remove your biscuit mixture and cold buttermilk from the refrigerator. First, add the scallion and cheddar to the mixture and incorporate well. Then add one cup of buttermilk and gently incorporate with a fork until the dry ingredients are a consistent mass. Add a little bench flour to your countertop, put the biscuit mixture on there, and add a bit more bench flour to the top.
With a rolling pin, flatten the mixture out to about 1 to 1 1/2-inch high, and then fold in half and roll once again to the same thickness. Repeat this 5-6 times, dusting with flour as needed to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin and the counter. This process is adding flaky layers to the biscuits. With a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, you should be able to get 4-6 clean rounds. You can get another 1-2 biscuits by pressing the scraps together. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and put them back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 450 Fahrenheit.
Melt one tablespoon of butter and brush the biscuit tops before they go into the oven for 15-16 minutes, when the tops should be golden brown. Brush the tops once again with any remaining melted butter.
This is the point where you can go one of two ways: either a more traditional biscuits and gravy with small chunks of sausage, or sausage patties. If you are going the patty route, make 6-8 patties of equal size from your pound of sausage, depending on how many biscuits you have. Sear both sides of the patties in a large sauté pan on medium high heat until done, then place in a warm oven to hold. If you are going the traditional route, place your sausage in one flat piece in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat and let the first side brown. Then use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break the flattened sausage into small chunks and stir until it’s cooked. Remove from the sauté pan and set aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the same large sauté pan on medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the 3 tablespoons of flour and stir to coat in the butter. Allow it to cook for two minutes while stirring. Add a cup of the milk while whisking vigorously. Once there are no lumps and the contents have thickened, add the rest of the milk and whisk again until smooth. Allow the mixture to simmer until it thickens. Add salt, freshly grated nutmeg and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper to taste. If you are doing traditional biscuits and gravy, add the cooked sausage chunks to the gravy now.
If your gravy turns too thick (it will thicken as it cools), feel free to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk, stir, and reheat as necessary. This will thin it to a more pourable consistency.
To assemble the patty version, cut a biscuit in half, place a sausage patty on top of one half, cover with as much gravy as you like, and top with the other biscuit half. To assemble the traditional version, cut a biscuit in half and pour sausage gravy over the top of both halves. For a pop of green in either version, you can sprinkle chopped scallion over the gravy. Eat with a fork and knife.
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PhotoCredit: Jon Bennion
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