Toad in the Hole

About This Recipe

Toad in the hole is a great British comfort dish — fat pork sausages browned in a hot tin, then drowned in Yorkshire pudding batter and baked until the batter rises around them into a glorious puffed golden raft with the sausages peeking out. Served with thick onion gravy and either mashed potatoes or peas, it's the meal that gets a British family through a cold January evening. The bizarre name has been debated for over 200 years — the most plausible theory is that the sausages 'peep out' of the batter like toads peeking from a hole. The dish itself is a 19th-century working-class adaptation of expensive Sunday roast: instead of beef, you use cheap sausages; instead of dripping, the sausage fat. Same Yorkshire pudding technology, different center.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8good thick pork sausages (Cumberland or similar)
• 2 tbspneutral oil or beef dripping
• 140 gplain flour
• 4 largeeggs
• 200 mlwhole milk
• 1/2 tspfine salt
• 1 tspDijon mustard (optional, in the batter)
• 30 gbutter (for gravy)
• 2 largeyellow onions, sliced (for gravy)
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tbspall-purpose flour (for gravy)
• 500 mlbeef stock
• 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tspsoy sauce (for color)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter early

   Whisk flour and salt; add eggs to a well; gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Stir in mustard if using. Strain into a jug. Rest covered at room temperature at least 1 hour.

2. 2

   Caramelize the onions for gravy

   Melt butter in a wide pan over medium-low. Add sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized. Add sugar in the last 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Build the gravy

   Sprinkle flour over the onions; cook 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in beef stock. Add Worcestershire and soy sauce. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened. Season; keep warm.

4. 4

   Brown the sausages

   Heat oil in a 25 × 30 cm metal roasting tin in a 220°C oven for 10 minutes — the fat should be smoking. Carefully add sausages; return to oven for 12 minutes to brown all over.

5. 5

   Pour the batter

   Pull the tin out. The fat should still be ferociously hot. Pour batter quickly around the sausages — listen for the violent hiss.

6. 6

   Bake without opening

   Return to the oven. Do NOT open the door for 20 minutes. Bake 25-30 minutes total, until the batter has risen dramatically around the sausages and is deep golden brown.

7. 7

   Serve immediately

   Bring the tin to the table — the rise deflates quickly. Cut into portions. Serve with onion gravy ladled generously over and a side of mashed potatoes or peas.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian toad in the hole: use vegetarian sausages (Linda McCartney or Quorn).

• •

  Add 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme to the batter for an aromatic herbal note.

• •

  Use chorizo instead of pork sausages for a Spanish-British fusion.

Storage

Eat immediately — the rise deflates within 10 minutes. Refrigerated leftovers reheat at 200°C for 8 minutes but won't puff again.

Frequently Asked Questions