Traditional British Food - Toad in the Hole
Recipe for Old-time Dish of Yorkshire Pudding batter and sausages
Jun 15, 2008
Because Toad in the Hole was sometimes made from leftovers it had a reputation as one of the poorer English dishes, like Shepherd's Pie. However, Toad in the Hole, when made with first class sausages, makes an excellent meal. Originally, various cuts of fresh meat were used but more often than not the batter pudding base would be used as a repository for leftovers, possibly with a few sausages thrown in to make more of a meal.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The earliest recorded use of the expression 'hole' dates from the 18th-century in one of Hannah Glasse's recipes for 'pigeons in the hole'. How the name 'Toad in the Hole' came into being is not clear. Some say the dish looks like like a toad sticking its head up through the batter. But in reality it looks no more like a toad than a mouse, or some other small animal. 'Mouse in the Hole' sounds just as good as 'Toad in the Hole, but someone obviously decided on Toad and that was that. It does seem a bit far fetched to believe that a small sausage sticking out of some cooked batter could be thought to look like a toad! Perhaps it should be re-named Sausage in the Hole?
Anyway, what's in a name? Whatever you want to call it, it is a delicious, easy to make, meal. So next time you make a full on Sunday dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, remember to make some extra batter for a Toad in the Hole treat the next day. If there is no batter left over, use the recipe below.
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 6 oz (180 g.) plain flour
- 1 pint (6 dl.) milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 oz. (30 g.) butter
- Good pinch of salt
- 1 pound (450g) pork sausages
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 425F; gas mark 10. Fry the sausages and drain off most of the fat, leaving enough to lightly cover the base of the dish they are to be cooked in.
- Put the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the egg and half of the liquid.
- Gradually stir in the flour and bear until smooth; stir in the remaining liquid
- Grease a shallow ovenproof dish, put in the sausages and pour in the batter.
- Bake close to the top of oven for 25-30 minutes or until the batter is well risen and goldenbrown.
Plain brown gravy or onion gravy are traditional with Toad in the Hole.
