Toad in the Hole - Talk to Me

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

I've never made or indeed eaten this before but we have some really good sausages and little else so for dinner I am contemplating it.
Is it actually nice?
Is it foolproof, or do I risk ruining the sausages?

My son (12) made this at school the other day and it was a great success -- so it can't be that hard. I always thought it would be tricky.

I love it. It isn't foolproof because it depends on things like your yorkshire puddings rising (I find an extra egg helps here), so no peeking at it while the pudding is on the way up, or it might sink!

It also helps if you have a heavy nonstick metal pan to cook it in.

It ususally works out fine, you make a nice batter and then put some oil in your oven proof pan and let it heat up like you would with roast potatoes, when oil is smoking pile the sausages in.
And turn them in the oil to get them coated and to start to colour. Then pour the batter over (possibly with some thyme sprigs or rosemary) and then put it in a medium oven.
Tis very nice, but not particularly healthy I guess

I found this Delia Recipe

It looks easy, but then they always do.

Make sure you bake the sausages for a bit first. And that the tin is hot hot hot before pouring the batter in (try putting it on the hob if it's fairly sturdy).

Even if the batter is a disaster, the soss will still be edible.

I think Delia talks sense on this one

yummmm.... lovely.

You need to cook the sausages first, then make your batter mix really light and fluffy (by adding an extra egg, or by whisking it loads

Make sure your oven is really really hot, and that your oil is smoking before you add the mixture.

Put some batter in the dish first, then add your cooked sausages, then pour the rest of the batter over the top.

Do NOT open the oven door.

lovely

(and if you do make a cock up and it goes wrong, you can rescue the sausages and serve them with something else instead)

I don't care about healthy! Plus we will have it with loads of veg.
Delia suggests mash but that seems a bit heavy.

Threadworm I am impressed by your son. At my little sisters school the cooking lessons are shite. They recently made pizza and on the ingredients list was 'ready made pizza base'

Onion gravy is my forte!

We make this quite a lot.
6oz plain flour
2 eggs
6floz milk
4floz water. Pinch of salt
Mix into batter.
I pop the sausages in the oven for 20 minutes first until the fat runs, my mum always says the fat has to be smoking for it to rise. And then pour batter in, leave for 25 minutes. Dd loves to watch it rise through the glass oven door.
And it is divine.

You have to have it with mash, mash made with cream and butter, and plenty of nice thick gravy.
It's probably one of my fave meals ever.
Sometimes I do it with balls of sausagemeat that have a bit of stuffing mix mixed in and put a bit of mixed herbs in the batter mix.

I have the best - and most simple - toad in the hole recipe EVER!

Brown the sausages in the oven for about 20 mins (with some large chunks of red onion if you fancy it), meanwhile make the batter using equal measures (I use a small cup) of flour, egg and milk. Whisk it really well and add some rosemary and a pinch of salt if you have some.

When the sausages are brown simply pour over the batter mixture and put back in the oven for about 30 mins.

Serve with mash and veg - it is divine!!!!!

Oooh, yes one of the only things I can cook and comes out great everytime:

Oil in dish and heat in oven until smoking,
Batter: 1 egg, third of a mug of SR flour, third of a mug water and sixth of milk (all approx)
Put mixed batter in the heated dish, raw sausages in the middle and cook for about 35 mins, yummy and light.

(The batter recipe is scaled down a bit was 3 eggs, 1 mug flour & water and half mug of milk, but ended up using too much.)

Oooh too many different recipes! I don't know what to do.

The sausages we have are Buffalo ( , but thats a whole different thread) with red wine and rosemary so I don't want to add more in case it is over powering.

Does it make a difference if you use whole or skimmed milk in batter, I've never known.

[smug emoticon] I don't get the dish hot - I put batter in cold stoneware with a very light spray of oil and it works perfectly each time - and I can even open oven 1/2 way through. Thank heavens for Pampered Chef stoneware!

Receipe I use: 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup 1/2milk 1/2 water, 3 medium or 2 large eggs.

Takes about 25mins on high.

No, doesn't matter which type of milk that you use.

I love Toad
No-one has given you an onion gravy recipe - which is Necessary to the eating of toad.
I use Nigel Slaters:
2 large onions, thinly sliced. Cook in large (i mean large - say 75g) slice of butter, until brown & soft (ie ages) - low heat.
Add 1 heaped tablespoon flour & stir in for a min or so
Then add 75 ml red wine/marsalla & 250ml stock
Cook for about 15 mins.

Yum

Milk doesn't make a difference but, if you forget the pinch of salt, it does.

funnyhaha I do similar for gravy, but with thick chunks of roasted red onion too.

I find that making the batter with fizzy water makes it really light and fluffy and it rises great,

this thread is making me hungry! will make it later in the week when i've done some shopping....

I was making this for dinner tonight anyway

Oh dear. There is such a thing as too many cooks spoil the broth.

Thanks for all your advice, but I don't have a clue which recipes and tips to follow, should I calculate a complex equation of them all and use that?

May I also recommend you chuck in a couple of chopped up tomatoes and mushrooms?

yum.