Toad in the hole

Toad in the hole is a good old fashioned Yorkshire  staple, dating back to the 1800's, and it was a firm favourite throughout my childhood. Now that I live in London it's a firm favourite in my household here also! Fear not, for those readers not from the UK this is not a dish made from actual toads, the toad simply refers to the sausages peeking out from the batter like toads out of a hole - hence the name! 

It is not a healthy dish by any means due to the amount of fat used, however, on a grey January Sunday it is perfect served with Savoy cabbage and a rich onion gravy. This recipe served 6 smaller portions or 4 greedy people! 

Ingredients for the toad in the hole

300 grams plain flour, 4 large eggs, 350ml semi-skimmed milk, pinch salt, 6 Cumberland sausages, vegetable oil. 

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius. In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt followed by the eggs, begin to mix with a whisk until a paste starts to form, then gradually add the milk, whisking constantly until you get a smooth batter. Don't worry if you have a few lumps, these will cook out in the oven. Rest the bowl in the fridge whilst you prepare the sausages.

Cook the sausages in a dry frying pan (no oil) until browned all over, don't worry if they are not 100% cooked through as they will do so in the oven. 

In a medium sized metal oven pan add enough oil until there is approximately 2mm of oil over the base of the pan, once the oven is up to temperature place the pan on a middle shelf to heat the oil. When the oil is very hot add the sausages to the pan and put it back in the oven watching the temperature until it is back up to 200 Celsius and the oil is shimmering hot. 

Then, working very quickly open the oven door and tip in the cold batter, then shut the door quickly to retain as much heat as possible. Don't worry if your batter pushes the sausages out of the way, they will move whilst cooking anyway and this is not a neat and tidy dish! 

For 20 minutes cook the dish at 200 Celsius and then turn the oven down to 180 Celsius for 25 minutes. Do not be tempted to open the oven door, you need to keep as much heat in as possible so keep that door shut! Don't worry if the toad looks a little dark around the edge, a few crispy well-done bits are all part of the character. 

After 45 minutes take a skewer and insert in to the thickest part of the toad, if it comes out clean and the batter looks like it is cooked all the way through, it can come out of the oven. However, if the skewer comes out with batter on or the toad looks a little raw in the middle, keep it in the oven for a further 10 minutes and check again (and repeat of necessary). 

Once cooked you can serve, I adore this slathered with rich onion gravy!

Onion gravy

1 white onion, 2tbsp plain flour, 1.5 pints good beef stock, splash of olive oil. 

Cut the onion in to thin slices and then gently fry in a little oil until soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir well to combine, then gradually add the stock, little by little, whisking continuously until all the flour is well combined and the lumps dissapear. Let the gravy bubble away for a couple of minutes until thickened and then it's ready to serve!