Often when having friends and family over for traditional holidays, I try to stick to tradition while giving it my own spin. St. Patrick’s Day is a perfect opportunity to give a spin to the more traditional dishes. Bangers and Mash is a favorite Irish dish with mashed potatoes, pork sausage, and a wonderful onion brown gravy. I wanted to make an appetizer that would give that same flavorful punch in a bite! These Bangers and Mash Bites take some effort, but they are completely worth it!

Bangers and Mash Bites

You can really get creative with this idea and do a version of potato skins or even a version of Irish Nachos. But, I love how these little potatoes look so interesting and pack a lot of favor in a single bite. This recipe makes approximately 24 bites depending on the size of your potatoes. I did have leftover filling.

Ingredients:

• 24-28 mini potatoes (a few extra helps in case you make a mistake while hollowing them out.)
• 2 tablespoon Irish butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 links of good quality pork sausage. I used a smoked sausage.
• 1 packet of brown gravy + 1.5 cups water
• 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion diced
• 1/2 cup of shredded Irish cheddar (more for garnish)
• Parsley to garnish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Wash your potatoes and take out any eyes you see. Put in a pot of salted water to boil.
2. Be careful to not over-cook your potatoes. They are done when you can easily poke a fork into them, but are overdone if the mash under the weight of the fork. Strain and rinse in ice cold water. This will make them cool enough to work with.
3. Cut a small sliver off the bottom and top of each potato. This way they will stand up and you’ll be able to easily access the inner potato.
4. Using a melon baller or small spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the potato. Don’t throw the innards out! That will be your “Mash.” Put all the filling in a bowl. Place the hollowed put potatoes in a lightly greased baking dish.
5. Make your mash by adding the cream and butter to the mixture of potato and mashing it with a fork. Set aside.
6. Dice your sausage and onion and fry in a pan over medium heat. Stir so it doesn’t stick or get too brown. Once cooked through (the sausage and onions will be slightly browned and will smell awesome) you’ll add in the packet of brown gravy mix and water. Stir and let thicken.
7. Mix in the mashed potatoes until all is incorporated.
8. Scoop the mixture into each potato. You may have some filling left over.
9. Place potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes. Pull out, top with cheese, and put back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
10. Serve warm!

What’s your favorite St.Patty’s Day dish? Comment below!