Toad In The Hole

Since I wrote about my old English cookbooks recently, I thought I would create a traditional English recipe called Toad in the Hole. According to my research, this is a recipe that has been around since at least the 18th century and use to be made with pieces of meat rather than sausages. Today the recipe is made with nice meaty sausages and a Yorkshire pudding batter, very similar to popover batter.

We went out for breakfast yesterday morning and my serving of sausages with my eggs was way more than I could eat in one sitting so I took two of them home with no idea what to do with them. After going through the old cookbooks and seeing this recipe, I thought it would be perfect. I cut the recipe in half to make two servings.

I said to The Husband as he was tentatively putting the first bite of this unusually named dish into his mouth, "I would bet our life savings we are the only people in Salem who are eating Toad in the Hole for dinner tonight, dare I say in all of Oregon." Don't you just love adventurous dining? I served our Toad in the Hole with a wonderful tomato and cucumber salad picked fresh from our garden with a light vinaigrette. Toad in the Hole
(serves 2)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided into two portions
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup coldwater
2 meaty sausages

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the batter by putting flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center and break the egg into it. Mix the milk with cold water. Using a whisk, gradually stir the milk mixture into the bowl with the egg, incorporating the flour and beating well to make a smooth batter. The batter should resemble a slightly thin pancake batter. Let stand.

Pour the oil into two individual baking dishes and add the sausages. Put into the hot oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the oil is very hot and the sausages begin to brown.

Stir the batter and quickly pour it around the sausages and return to the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes or until the batter is puffed up, set and golden brown. Serve immediately.