Hairy Bikers Cumberland Sausage Pie Recipe

Hairy Bikers Cumberland sausage pie is their take on Cumberland pie, with sausage balls simmered in red wine gravy under a cheesy spring onion mash. So the Everyday Winners version feeds 4 in about 1 hour 50 minutes, at around 950 calories a portion by my sums.

Cumberland pie “is very similar to shepherd’s pie”, they write, so they made one “with Cumberland sausages for the full Cumberland experience”. And the sausages go into little balls “so everyone gets a bite of banger satisfaction”, with Cumberland sauce in the gravy.

Giving the gravy its full 20 minutes matters most, because it needs to reduce and thicken before the mash goes on. That way, as I see it, a thick filling holds the potato up instead of letting it sink while the pie bakes.

Hairy Bikers Cumberland Sausage Pie Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time:1 hour 30 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:950 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Peppery sausage meat is rolled into small balls, browned, then cooked in a rich gravy of red wine, beef stock and redcurrant-sweet Cumberland sauce. Then a creamy spring onion mash goes on top, finished with Cheddar and baked until golden.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 8 Cumberland sausages (about 500g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 15g butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml red wine
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large thyme sprig
• 1 to 2 tbsp Cumberland sauce
• 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
• sea salt and black pepper

For the topping

• 1kg floury potatoes, cut into chunks
• 30g butter
• 1 bunch of spring onions, cut into rounds
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 50ml single cream
• 100g Cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Make the sausage balls: Skin the sausages and throw the skins away, then cut each one into 4 and roll each piece into a ball. Then heat a tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the balls until browned all over, and set them aside.
2. Soften the veg: Heat the rest of the oil and the butter in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole, then add the onion, carrots and celery. Stir for a few minutes until coated, then cover and cook, stirring regularly, for at least 10 minutes until tender.
3. Build the gravy: Stir in the flour, and once it has disappeared into the oil, stir in the tomato purée. Then turn up the heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, before pouring in the wine and bringing it to the boil.
4. Simmer: Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay and thyme, then the Cumberland sauce, the orange zest if using, and the sausage balls. Season well and bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until reduced and thickened.
5. Make the mash: Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in well-salted water for 10 to 15 minutes until tender, and heat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Then drain the potatoes and mash them until smooth.
6. Finish the topping: Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the spring onions until they start to soften. Then add the mash, the mustard if using and the cream, and beat until well combined, tasting for salt.
7. Assemble and bake: Spoon the filling into a pie dish of about 2 litres, though I’d fish out the bay leaves and thyme stalk first. Then spread the mash over, rough it up with a fork and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, until well browned and piping hot.

FAQs

What is Cumberland sauce, and can I make my own?

Yes, you can make it, though the recipe only needs 1 to 2 tablespoons, so a ready-made jar is fine too. And it’s a sauce of redcurrant jelly, port and orange, while their Meat Feasts version adds lemon juice and stem ginger.

There, they boil the pared peel of 1 orange, then simmer its juice with 150g of redcurrant jelly and 50ml of ruby port until syrupy. And they say it “also goes well with gammon and raised pies”, so leftovers suit their marmalade glazed gammon.

How is it different from shepherd’s pie or cottage pie?

It swaps the usual mince for balls of Cumberland sausage, while the mash gets spring onions, cream and an optional spoonful of mustard.

Their cottage pie with cheesy mash stirs Cheddar into the mash, while their one-pot shepherd’s pie tops lamb mince with sliced potatoes. So with its mash and beef stock gravy, this one eats more like the cottage pie to me.

Can I make the filling in a slow cooker?

Yes, though the method is my own: work through steps 1 to 4 on the hob, using 300ml of stock instead of 400ml. Then, once it boils, tip it into the slow cooker, since it barely reduces a sauce.

Cook it on low for about 8 hours or high for about 4, which is BBC Good Food’s timing for a slow cooker sausage casserole. Then spoon it into a pie dish, top with the mash and bake at 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6 for 30 minutes.

Can I make it ahead or freeze it?

Yes to both, though the book doesn’t cover either, so this is my approach. Cool the filling within 2 hours before the mash goes on, then chill the assembled pie for up to 2 days, or freeze it.

Defrost a frozen pie overnight in the fridge, then bake it from chilled for about 45 minutes, my estimate, until steaming hot in the centre. And since that bake is its one reheat, as the FSA advises, plan to eat it all in one go.

Can I use other sausages?

Yes, any meaty pork sausage will roll into balls the same way, though I’d stick with Cumberland for the name and the pepper. For a casserole in The Hairy Dieters Make It Easy, they like “peppery Cumberland sausages and herby Lincolnshire or why not try a Toulouse?”

And the recipe for their Cumberland sausage, chicken and squash tray bake only asks for “meaty pork sausages”, despite the name. So I wouldn’t worry if your butcher has run out of Cumberland.