The English have given this silly name to a Yorkshire pudding with sausage in it, a convenient and appealing brunch or supper dish. Since Yorkshire pudding is traditionally baked in the drippings from a big roast of beef, and since big roasts of beef are definitely not within penny-pinchers’ budgets, I offer this humble but by no means inferior version.
Yield:
Serves 4Ingredients
1 pound breakfast sausage, links or small homemade patties
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, including green tops, minced
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Fry the sausages in an ovenproof skillet (a 10-inch iron skillet is ideal) or broil them in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. When the sausages are crisp and brown, drain off some of the fat, leaving enough to generously coat the pan.
Make the batter while the sausages are cooking. In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, milk, flour, and salt for 2 – 3 minutes. Alternately, whisk them vigorously by hand for 4 – 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped scallions.
Put the pan of sausages in the oven for 1 – 2 minutes to get it very hot, then pour the batter over the sausages. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 10 minutes more, until the pudding is puffed and golden brown.
Serve immediately.
Variation
Instead of one large Toad in a Hole, make individual portions in custard cups or ramekins. Prepare sausage as directed, but cut in half before transferring to greased cups, and then adding the batter.
Toad in a Hole originally appeared in the 1985 Yankee cookbook “Feasts for a Farthing.”
