A budget & family friendly pie recipe.

Sausage & mash. I mean, it’s up there with the British classics like fish & chips, steak & ale pie, the Sunday roast. And as I have said before with my Garlic & Parmesan Roast Potato recipe, sometimes the classics don’t really need any tweaking… but it’s fun to put a spin on them nonetheless!

So here’s my WFD take on the good old sausage & mash, inspired by another family favourite: cottage pie, with a lovely mustard-y twist.

Since starting up WFD Recipes, life in the world we live in has changed a little. We’re all feeling the squeeze on our bank balances more than we possibly used to. So although I won’t brand myself entirely on sharing completely budget dinners, I definitely want to share some more purse-friendly options. And this Sausage & Mash pie recipe is definitely one of those.

Great for batch cooking and freezing, or having as leftovers at work the next day, this family friendly recipe is simple, tasty and a good cheap eat. This recipe itself is based on two generous portions – I would simply double up on your potatoes and sauce mixture for larger families, but stick with the same amount of sausages so you’re not buying more than one pack.

Recipe ingredients

• 400g pork sausages or chipolatas
• Approximately 700g white potatoes
• 1 leek
• 1 onion
• 90g frozen peas
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100ml of red wine
• 400ml beef stock
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• 1 chicken stock cube
• A splash of milk
• Salt & pepper
• Olive or vegetable oil

Cooking utensils

• 1 large dish
• 1 pie dish
• Sharp knives
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Cooking tongs
• Chopping board
• Masher utensil

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. Let’s prep the vegetables first. After giving your leeks a good rinse to wash away any dirt, slice them up with your onion and set aside.
3. Finely slice your garlic cloves and pop to the side.
4. Heat a splash of oil in your pan on a medium heat and add your sausages to brown them off. Cook them for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, before setting them aside.
5. Lower your heat and add a tablespoon of butter, scraping at the pan to help it deglaze and bring out all those hidden flavours from the sausages’ remains.
6. Add your leeks and onions, cooking them for about 6 minutes until they soften.
7. Grab your sliced garlic and pop that in the pan too, cooking and stirring for about a minute.
8. Sprinkle in your tablespoons of flour and the tomato puree, cooking out for a further 1 minute and allowing all the ingredients to get nicely coated.
9. Now let’s enhance the flavour. Add the dried thyme before pouring in your red wine. Give everything a good stir and a little scrape. Cook on a medium to low heat for another minute.
10. Pour in your stock, add your frozen peas and finish with a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
11. Now, it’s time to bring the sausages back into the mix. I like to slice the sausages into thirds before adding them into the pan, but feel free to leave them as they are if you wish!
12. Simmer everything for 5 to 10 minutes, tasting to season if needed.
13. Peel and roughly chop your potatoes, then give them a rinse to get rid of some excess starch. Add them to a pan of boiling water with a chicken stock cube and boil until wonderfully soft.
14. Drain your potatoes, bring them back to the hot saucepan (off the heat though!) and add the remaining butter, grated cheddar cheese, wholegrain mustard and a splash of milk.
15. Mash until you get a lovely consistency – adding some salt and pepper to taste if needed.
16. Now, pour your gorgeous sausage pie mixture into an ovenproof dish. Dollop on your mustard-y mash and spread evenly across the top. I like to then lightly rake a fork across the top to allow for some lovely crispy bits.
17. Cook in the oven for about 35 to 45 minutes until golden and crispy.
18. Serve with your choice of vegetables and enjoy!

Tasty tips!

• Add some flavour the lazy way – pick up some pre-seasoned sausages just like these Pork & Caramelised Onion sausages from Morrisons.
• This is a great dinner to cook in bulk and freeze for a stress-free midweek meal.