I’d like to kick this post off by saying that I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to photograph skinless, hand-formed sausages and make them look as delicious as they truly are. Please don’t be put off, they look much better in person and they taste wonderful!

Like Champagne, Cheddar & Buffalo Wings the Cumberland Sausage gets its name from the place it comes from; Cumberland, England. This unique sausage is generally chunkier in texture and rolled into a coil rather than linked. It has an initially peppery flavor with a herb and spice after taste that is very distinct.

Now and then I make a kielbasa or a sausage stew for dinner, or even “Brinner” (breakfast for dinner) with small link sausages. Though by far my favorite sausage dinner is the good’ol Brit “sausage & mash”. Why didn’t I call them bangers? Well, because it’s a silly thing to say. Seriously, never call sausages bangers… especially to a British person. I have never EVER heard any Brit call a sausage a banger, so if you do it, you’ll just look like a idiot. You’re welcome.

So anyway, there used to be a time I’d just pick up some Cumberland sausages from the store (I liked the chipolatas the best) and have them any old night of the week. They make an easy, quick, filling and comforting meal. Sometimes to speed the meal preparation process along I’d just go with a measuring jug of Bisto (instant gravy). In fact, Bisto is probably more traditional than homemade gravy, so it made the meal more authentic (yes, I’m going to keep telling myself that).

I’ve never found any sausage in the U.S.A. that is similar so when the craving struck I tried to satisfy it with regular old American breakfast sausage. Though it helped in one way, it made it worse in another way so I decided to look up how to make my own Cumberland Sausages. I found that nearly all the recipes called for a crap ton of ingredients (Yes, crap ton is the technical term) and/or they required special equipment.

As much as I’d like to, I do not presently own a meat grinder or any sausage making kit. I also don’t want to produce more then a few pounds of sausage at a time, so the huge bulk (crap ton) recipes that were for skinned sausages, didn’t work for my purpose. I began scaling and experimenting. My goal being to make the best facsimile I could with ingredients readily available in any American grocery store, and only make enough for a single meal.

Believe me, there were some real disasters. The sausages that tasted like potpourri were the worst I think, but eventually I got it right. The texture isn’t the same as a real British made Cumberland sausage, it’s smoother and I personally prefer it. So when I’m craving a simple sausage and mash dinner, this recipe definitely satisfies without leaving me feeling like I made a compromise. Also, my husband says that if they were skinned, they’d be “spot on”.

Please do try making the gravy, it is wonderful… but if you have Bisto and you prefer that, I totally understand.

Ingredients

• 1/2c/45g old fashion oats (oatmeal/porridge oats)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sage
• 1/4 tsp marjoram
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp mace
• 1 1/2lb/680g ground pork
• Drizzle of olive oil for frying (about a teaspoon)

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients except the pork and oil into a small food processor or the beaker of an immersion blender. Blend well, then let sit for 5 minutes. Process again until the paste is as smooth as possible.
2. Put the pork in a large bowl, tip the paste on to the pork. Gently combine the paste and pork until well blended. The meat should look “feathery”.
3. Form the meat into a ball, cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours (Don’t form or cook the sausages with out this step!).
4. When you are ready to make the sausages, divide the cold mixture into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a tight ball, then roll out into a traditional sausage shape.
5. If you plan to make the gravy, preheat the oven to 200f, otherwise just heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Once hot, drizzle in a little oil.
6. Add the sausages and cook for 3 minutes per side, so 12 minutes total (imagine they have 4 sides). Give the sausages a quarter turn every 3 minutes, lean them against each other if necessary.
7. When the sausages are cooked through (an instant read thermometer should read 160f), lay them single file on a paper towel lined over proof plate, uncovered, and then put them in the preheated oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.

Makes 8 Sausages/4 Servings – Best served with Mashed Potatoes, Peas and Caramelized Onion Gravy (see recipe below)

Caramelized Onion Gravy

Ingredients

• 1c/250ml boiling hot water
• 1 Knorr beef cube
• 1/2c/125ml red wine
• 1 TBSP Worcester sauce
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 TBSP plain white all-purpose flour
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

NOTE: Before you cook the sausages – Combine the boiling hot water and the Knorr cube, whisk until it’s dissolved and then whisk in the wine and Worcester sauce. Set aside until needed.

1. Remove all but a tablespoon of the fat from the pan you cooked the sausages in, then add the onions and sprinkle over the brown sugar.
2. Saute the onions gently until they are very soft but still hold their shape. This should take about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (don’t fuss over them or they won’t caramelize).
3. Sprinkle over the flour and stir into the onions, fry stirring constantly for 1 minute.
4. Add in the liquid gradually while stirring, bring to a simmer.
5. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir well, taste and add salt and black pepper as needed.

Makes approximately 2 cups

Notes

• You could form the sausages into patties rather than tube shapes if you prefer.
• If you want a fast gravy, you could just make a roux in the pan and whisk in a bit of stock.