United Kingdom • Regional Dish • Side Dish
Toad in the Hole
Golden Yorkshire pudding wrapped around juicy sausages makes Toad in the Hole one of Britain’s best comfort-food dishes.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 220°C.
- First, make the batter. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs and whisk, then gradually whisk in the milk until the batter is smooth. Let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Put the sausages and oil in a medium roasting dish. Roast for 15 minutes, turning once, until the sausages are lightly browned and the oil is very hot.
- While the sausages roast, make the gravy. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and deep golden.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, and salt. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until thickened and glossy. Keep warm.
- Remove the roasting dish from the oven. Quickly pour the batter around the sausages, then return the dish to the oven straight away.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes until the batter is deeply risen, golden brown, and crisp at the edges. Do not open the oven door while it bakes.
- Serve immediately with the onion gravy spooned over or alongside.
Cultural Context
Toad in the Hole is a traditional British dish built from sausages baked in batter, essentially a large Yorkshire pudding with the sausages rising through it. A comforting family favorite, the dish is usually served with onion gravy and vegetables.
The dish is especially associated with English home cooking and pub-style comfort food. It is one of those recipes that sounds faintly ridiculous until it arrives hot and golden at the table, at which point everyone suddenly becomes very supportive of the idea.
Fun Fact
No records suggest the dish was ever made with actual toads. A relief, frankly. The name is usually explained by the way the sausages poke up through the batter like little creatures peering out of a Beatrix Potter illustration.
Cook’s Tip
Good pork sausages are the traditional choice here. Cumberland sausages work especially well if you can get them, but any good-quality British-style pork sausage will do. The real trick is hot oil and a properly rested batter. Pour the batter into the roasting dish while the oil is still very hot, then get it straight back into the oven. That is what helps it rise, rather than sit there like a damp apology.
Trivia
The same Yorkshire pudding batter used for Toad in the Hole is also the basis for classic standalone Yorkshire puddings served with roast beef.
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