Bangers and Colcannon with Uncle Steve's Irish Stout Onion Gravy

St. Patrick's Day is coming, and in less than 48 hours you're going to need something to soak up all of that green beer and Guinness.  Enter: bangers and mash.  Everything about this dish is pure comfort food: creamy colcannon topped with sausages and a caramelized onion gravy made with Short's Uncle Steve's Irish Stout.

Never "colcannoned" before?  This Irish form of mashed potatoes with bacon and sauteed cabbage mixed in will have you looking at the potato in a whole new light.

For this recipe you will need:

1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch slices
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
4 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound sausage (Irish or English bangers if you can get them)
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle Short's Uncle Steve's Irish Stout
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sour cream
Milk to taste

Bring some water to boil, add the potatoes and simmer until fork tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat until it renders, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the butter to the bacon, season with salt and pepper and cook until it foams, about a minute.

Add the cabbage to the bacon, mix to coat and let cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the green onions to the cabbage, cook for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per side, and set them aside.

Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.  Sprinkle in the flour and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the stout, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar along with the sausage and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the sausage and continue to simmer to reduce by half about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the potatoes, mix in the cabbage followed by the butter, sour cream and enough milk until you get your favorite mashed potatoes consistency.

Divide the colcannon between 4 plates, top with sausages and cover in gravy.

*Recipe inspiration from What Lolita Eats