The heat is on when it comes to making the classic British comfort food ‒ Toad in the Hole ‒ writes LYNN BAIN.
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The oven has to be hot, hot, hot for this recipe.
Not only does the oven need to be hot, but the tin (or alternatively a cast iron fry pan) and the oil in which you are cooking the Toad in the Hole, needs to be hot as well.
Accordingly, when the oven comes to temperature at the pre-set 220℃, the tin with the oil needs to be popped in the oven for at least 10 minutes.
The oil that you use should have a high smoke point. Oils such as grapeseed or peanut oil are ideal. Please don’t use olive oil — it simply won’t work as well in this scenario as it starts to smoke at around 190℃ to 207℃.
The tin should either be a roasting type tin with high sides (rather than a shallow sided tray) or a cast iron frypan.
It should also be of sufficient size to hold the sausages in a single layer with a bit of space between them to allow the batter to rise.
Handy hint one: Please use your favourite prepared mustard in the following recipe. I have been a huge fan of hot English mustard ever since I was about three years old. My dad put a generous slather of some hot English mustard on a ham sandwich and offered me a taste. I absolutely loved the belt of flavour (even through all the coughing, gasping and streaming nose).
Handy hint two: You could substitute the onion in the following recipe for finely chopped chilli. Alternatively, you could use both.
Handy hint three: A cast iron frypan with metal handle would be a great choice to cook your “toad’’ in. This pan easily makes the transition from sautéing sausages on the stove top, to cooking the Toad in the Hole in the oven.
INGREDIENTS
8 sausages
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup plain flour
Pinch salt
4 eggs (free range if possible)
200ml milk
1 tbsp prepared mustard
METHOD
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