Plump pork sausages, crispy Yorkshire pud and a rich onion gravy come together to make this family favourite.
An everlasting favourite of children, this dish is known and loved by most British people as sausages (the toad) cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter (the hole). But it wasn’t always so. In 1861, Mrs. Beeton described a version that used steak and kidney instead of sausages, while other early recipes called for cheap offcuts or leftovers of any kind of meat . The Art of Cookery (1747) even includes a recipe for “pigeon in a hole.” Sausages became integral to toad in the hole during World War I – perhaps as a way to
stop them exploding in the pan when frying – and the dish rapidly became a national hit.
- Prep time 20 minutes
- Cooking time 35 minutes
- Portion size 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Onion Gravy:
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs and egg white. Whisk them in, gradually drawing in the flour and adding just enough milk to make a paste. When all the flour is incorporated, whisk in the remaining milk until the batter is as thick as double cream. Set aside.
Place the sausages in a roasting tray and drizzle over the sunflower oil. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, until the sausages are beginning to turn golden and the oil is very hot. Remove the tray from the oven and pour the batter mix around the sausages. Return to the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the batter is risen and golden.
In the meantime, to make the gravy, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over medium heat for 15 minutes, until soft. Stir in the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the stock, stirring continuously. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes, adding the mustard, thyme and Worcestershire sauce for the last minute. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the broccoli in a pan of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, adding in the petits pois for the last minute. Drain and serve with the toad in the hole and gravy.
Note:
Petits pois – small sweet peas or baby green peas
Plain flour – all-purpose flour
Nutritional facts Per serving: about
- Sugars 17.6 g
- Calories 713
- Total fat 36.5 g
- Saturated fat 11 g
