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How to cook perfect sausages

BY READERS DIGEST

1st Jan 2015 Recipes

How to cook perfect sausages
Sausages are at the heart of many family classics – sausage & mash, a hearty breakfast fry-up, sausage casserole, or even around the bonfire. Kids and adults alike love biting into a traditional pork sausage, but what makes the perfect sausage?

Start with the best you can buy

  • Go for sausages with a high meat content: You should be paying for meat, not rusk or filler. About 80% meat is a great balance and gives a meaty bite whilst remaining soft and juicy. 
  • Choose natural skins: They are a natural by-product of meat production which give a good rustic appearance and texture to the finished sausage. 
  • Make sure they are made by a skilled butcher: The more hand made the better.

Decide upon your cooking method

There’s more to life than frying!
  • Pan-frying: Gives a good, sweet, caramelised outer surface. Try using the minimum fat possible to fry in, to keep your sausages as healthy as possible. 
  • Grilling: Very healthy method, but be careful the skins, especially natural ones, don’t dry up and become tough. 
  • BBQ: Perfect for summer. Cook with charcoal for a nicer aroma. Be careful not to burn them and use a meat thermometer to check the middle is cooked. 
  • Stewing: Your sausages will cook evenly throughout and none of the flavour will be lost to the pan as it will be incorporated into the sauce. Brown briefly first in the frying pan if you like them with a little colour.

Cook to perfection

If you have sausages in the freezer, you can enjoy them without waiting for them to defrost for hours. Watch this chef’s top tip, for guaranteed tenderness - especially handy for the BBQ, as it puts an end to burnt sausages with raw middles.

Recipe – the ultimate spring onion mash

Just the right accompaniment to your perfect banger!
  • 1kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into approx. 1” chunks
  • 120ml of each, milk and single cream, both lukewarm
  • 150g cold butter, diced
  • 2-3 spring onions, chopped
  • Salt and ground nutmeg to taste
Boil the potatoes in water until tender, then drain. Add the milk and cream as you mash. Stir in the butter and add in the spring onions. Season to taste with the salt and nutmeg until you have your ultimate mash.
 
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