Toad in a Hole with Onion Gravy

Good afternoon! I hope you guys are doing great! I wanted to continue on my exploration of foods from Britain and share my findings. On my last post, I shared how my local grocery store, Central Market, had a promotional called “Passport to Britain”.

For me, it was totally inspirational. I was introduced to all types of foods and recipes that I have never heard of. As a result, I have been excited to try new recipes for my own family that originate from Britain.

For this post, I wanted to share a common meal in England and Scotland known as Toad in a Hole. It consists of sausages (bangers) baked in a Yorkshire pudding. When I think of Toad in a Hole, I always think of a piece of toast with a hole in the center with a fried cooked in the middle. I had never heard of the British version.

“Some say that Toad-in-the-Hole originates from the town of Alnmouth in Northumberland, where the local golf course was overrun with Natterjack toads. During a golf tournament, a golfer putted his ball only for it to leap back out before an angry toad raised its head, peering out of the hole that it had been sleeping in. The chef at the hotel the golfers were staying in devised a dish to resemble this humorous moment, baking sausages in batter to appear like toads poking their heads out of the golf holes –and thus Toad-in-the-Hole was born!”-theculturetrip.com

Traditionally, this recipe is served with onion gravy and vegetables. It has also been served with rump steak and lamb’s kidney. It was thought that this meal was meant to stretch your meat a little further.

For me, it was a great new way to eat sausage that turned out to be delightful. Bangers taste very different than the smoked beef or pork sausages that I traditionally purchase. They have an herbed flavor versus a spicy flavor and the texture is slightly different. This due to the cracker meal that has been added.

I went for a traditional approach to this recipe; I did not take a bunch of creative liberties because I wanted to enjoy a classically flavored dish. When you brown the bangers and bake them in a Yorkshire pudding, something magical is created. It’s delicious! Then, you add onion gravy and bam! A little bit of Britain appears on your plate and oh my! It is wonderful!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

4 bangers (1 pound)

Directions:

1. Coat a casserole dish (8 x 12 inches) in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and place in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a medium bowl, add eggs and beat. Add in flour, salt, pepper, milk, and butter and stir until mixed completely. Set aside.

3. In a large frying pan, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat on medium heat. Brown bangers on both sides.

4. Carefully remove casserole dish from the oven using hot pads. Add browned sausages and pour batter over them. Return dish to the bottom rack of the oven.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown on the edges.

6. Serve with Onion Gravy (recipe below) and enjoy!

Onion Gravy

In a large skillet on medium high heat on the stovetop, add 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. When melted, add 1/2 cup minced yellow onion and sauté until translucent.

Add 1/3 cup all purpose flour and stir for 1 minute. Add 3 to 4 cups milk while whisking until thick. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Serve with Toad in a Hole and enjoy!