Sausage and Onion Gravy Rarebit
This hearty, comforting sausage and onion stew is topped with a cheesy rarebit - the perfect dish to serve after a blustery autumnal walk. Make a veggie version by using vegetarian sausages.
Introduction
Sausages in onion gravy topped with cheesy rarebit – a marriage made in heaven!
Ingredients
| 8 | sausages (meat or vegetarian) |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 2 | onions, sliced |
| 60g | butter |
| 1 tbsp | red wine vinegar or malt vinegar |
| Good pinch | salt |
| Good grind | black pepper |
| 2 tbsp | plain flour |
| 600ml | beef stock (or vegetable stock) |
| your choice of condiment (mustard, ketchup, chilli sauce, etc.), to serve | |
| For the rarebit: | |
|---|---|
| 50g | butter |
| 50g | plain flour |
| 200ml | milk |
| 100ml | beer |
| 1 tbsp | Dijon mustard |
| 1 tbsp | Worcestershire sauce |
| 150g | Cheddar, grated, plus a little extra for topping |
| 4 thick slices of | sourdough bread |
Essential kit
You will need: medium-sized heavy flameproof casserole.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
Place the sausages in a medium-sized heavy flameproof casserole, add half the olive oil and brown the sausages in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Add the remaining olive oil to a frying pan, add the onions and fry over a moderate heat. Once they start to soften, add the butter and let them cook away, then add the vinegar, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour. Let it bubble away then gradually add the stock, stirring all the time. Turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil. It should thicken up; when you stir it if you can see the bottom of the pan you know it has thickened. Pour the onion mixture over the browned sausages and cook, uncovered, in the oven for 10 minutes.
While the sausages are cooking, make the rarebit. Melt the butter in a frying pan then add the flour, sprinkling it around the outside so it toasts a little bit on the outside, then cook for a minute as you would a roux. Add the milk and stir constantly as the sauce starts to thicken. Pour in the beer and stir, then add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from the heat and add the cheese.
Toast the bread and cut each slice in half. Top each half of toasted sourdough with the lovely cheesy sauce. Remove the sausages from the oven and stir, then place the rarebit on top of the sausages. Add a little more grated cheese on top of the rarebit. (Any leftover rarebit can be stored in the fridge.)
Switch the oven to grill and place under a hot grill until the cheese is bubbling. Serve with a selection of your favourite condiments
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