Toad in the Hole
This is such a classic, crisp and light batter surrounding browned, tender sausages. I offer it with a compote of onions with red wine. Absolutely cracking and very filling with some green veg and crusty bread. Start the onions before you begin the toad! Serves 4 hungry appetites.
8 nice thick sausages (or 12 if you’re famished!)
175g plain flour
1 egg plus 1 egg white (save the yolk for a carbonara)
300ml full fat milk
Pinch of salt
Black pepper
3 tbsp sunflower oil
Preheat the oven to 160 fan, 180 centigrade.
1) Brown your sausages all over in a frying pan using just a touch of oil. Pour the oil into a roasting tin, about 25cm by 35cm. Put this tin in the oven until the oil is nice and hot – just like you would for Yorkshire pudding.
2) For the batter, whizz all the ingredients except the oil together in a food processor or blender and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to develop.
3) Place the sausages evenly in the tin and carefully pour the batter around them. Return the tin to the oven for around half an hour to 45 minutes until beautifully puffed up and golden brown.
For the onions:
4 onions, halved and sliced
25g butter, melted
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
75ml red wine
1 beef stock cube
Black pepper
Dash of balsamic vinegar
1) Sweat the onion gently in the melted butter for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar, stir well and cover the pan. Leave this on a low heat for half an hour, stirring every five minutes. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan every so often to stop it burning, but let the colour go a nice deep golden brown.
2) Once this colour is achieved, add the red wine and stir well. Turn up the heat and let it bubble to let the wine evaporate. Once it has almost all gone, make the stock cube up with half a pint of water and add this to the pan. Let this reduce again until syrupy, then season with pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar.
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