Toad in the hole

Nigel Slater puts a large spoonful of grain mustard in the batter, as do I. It's very tasty. He also skins his sausages and wraps them in pancetta, but that's a bit faffy for me. I don't peel them or anything, just stick them in. I have also made toad with Linda McC sausages, which the vegetarian guest was quite happy with.

they will cook fine and taste fine w/o pre-cookin but they do LOOK less appetising when still all pinXoR

Toad-In-The-Hole
Categories: Main dish, Breakfast
Yield: 4 Servings

1 c (250 ml) all-purpose flour
2 Eggs
1 c (250 ml) milk
1/2 ts (2.5 ml) salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb (900 g) small, fresh pork
-sausages

To make the batter in a blender, combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt and a
few grindings of pepper in the blender jar, and blend at high speed for 2
or 3 seconds. Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the jar, and
blend again for 40 seconds. To make the batter by hand, beat the eggs and
salt with a whisk or a rotary or electric beater until frothy. Slowly add
the flour, beating constantly. Then pour in the milk in a thin stream and
beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the batter for at
least 1 hour. Place the sausages side by side in a heavy 10 to 12 inch (25
to 30 cm) skillet, and prick them once or twice with the tines of a fork.
Sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water, cover the pan tightly,
and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Then remove the cover, increase the
heat to moderate, and continue to cook, turning the sausages frequently
with tongs or a spatula, until the water has completely evaporated and the
sausages have begun to brown in their own fat. Arrange the sausages in a
single layer in a baking tin or dish about 6 by 10 inches (15x25 cm) and 2
inches (5 cm) deep, and moisten them with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of their
drippings. Keep them at least an inch (2.5 cm) apart. Then pour the batter
over them and bake in the middle of a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 30
minutes, or until the pudding has risen over the top of the pan and is
crisp and brown. Serve at once.

Toad is absolutely not a breakfast dish. I have never known anyone, ever, make it for breakfast. Apart from anything, it takes too long to prepare. The only way I can imagine eating it for breakfast is leftovers from the fridge on a hangover. Actually, that would be rather nice :)

Mädchen, would you re-heat it or just eat it cold?

Also what kind of things have people added to the batter, besides the mustard? I am wondering what kind of additions it would withstand as I've never seen this and am unsure the bready consistency.

One way to do it is in a deep metal pan or roasting tray - that way you can fry the sausages on the hob, guage the fat and add more if necessary, then put the batter in - this way you don't miss out on any fatty, gooey goodness.

Very tasty. I thoroughly browned the sausages first in the cast iron skillet. The batter (with some of Mr. Coleman's magic mustard powder) sat for about an hour, then was poured in over the hot browned sausages and respective grease, then baked in a 425 deg F oven for 20 minutes. The cast iron gave the batter a nice crispy crust on the bottom, while it was tender/chewy around the sausages. I think it would be nice with some crushed red pepper in the batter, or the onions Porkpie mentions. Very tasty indeed.

I think this toad made with andouille and cayenne would be amazingly good. The batter is nice and eggy and would take well to strong spices. I can also see eating it cold for breakfast, though I didn't this morning. I'm a cold pizza advocate too.

The Hugh Fiercely-Eatsitall (thanks to Aldo, this is the only way I can think of the man) River Cottage Meat book has toad made with pheasant and/or pigeon breasts stuffed with prunes and wrapped with streaky bacon along with sausages. Terrific for a brunch, I think.

Good sausages, chopped bacon and a couple of shallots, cooked in the bottom of the pan. Poured over the batter, this time from Tamasin D-L's book, and it worked out better than I think ever before. Definitely a batter recipe I'll use again, although I couldn't help playing with it anyway (adding mustard and a bit of horseradish).

8oz flour
2 eggs
1 (Imperial) pint milk.

Add about half the milk and beat hard for at least 5 minutes. Combine the rest of the milk till smooth, and leave until the oven's hot and sausages etc are cooked. Pour over then in the oven at 220 for about half an hour.