English Classics: Toad In The Hole
England may not be known as the taste capital of the world, but it still has some pretty damn good dishes. A personal favourite of mine is Toad In The Hole which combines together great taste, easy-breezy preparation and the best name EVER. I knew that my grandparent will love to try something typically English and I knew that they will love this recipe, there was no doubt in me that I have to prepare it for them.
I have no idea why the name is such and believe me, trying to explain to your Bulgarian grandparents that no real toads are involved and none will be slaughtered during the process of cooking, can be quite entertaining. And a challenge.
As I just said, this dish is really fast one to make. 15 minutes to prepare, 25-30 to bake and this is it. Nothing too complicated, the only actual secret behind it's goodness is the strong recommendation to use good quality products. Meaning - nice, chubby sausages and good, tender smoked bacon or pancetta, simple as that.
So what exactly is Toad In The Hole? Sausages, wrapped in bacon, covered with the most simple batter and than baked. This is it, no biggie, even a child will be able to do it. It's a very rustic, family dinner styled dish, nothing fancy and posh. It's a comfort food, it's your Thursday evening meal that just asks for some onion gravy and steamed veggies at the side. Lovely and homemade. Shall we start then?
Ingredients (for 15 sausages):
- 15 sausages, best quality you can afford
- 15 thin stripes of bacon (or pancetta)
- 4 eggs
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 300ml milk combined with 300ml water
- 3 tbsp mustard, your favourite one
- salt and pepper
- greasing
How-To:
- In a big bowl mix together all of the ingredients except for the meats.
- Beat the batter until is limp-free and as thick as double cream.
- Grease a baking pan that can fit easily 15 sausages and all of the batter.
- Strip the sausages from their skin and wrap them in the bacon.
- Arrange the wrapped sausages in the pan so that there is enough space among them.
- Pour the batter on top of the sausages. It should almost cover them all the way.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 220C, until the mixture is puffed and golden.
- Serve with beer or wine, with grave or any other sauce of your choosing.
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| Guess who need a new oven, the old one is burning the food in the back ;( |
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