by James Coulter

St. Patrick’s Day was this month. So, what would be more fitting for the Irish holiday than cooking…British food?

Originally, I was going to prepare corned beef and cabbage, but I decided not to since no one else in my family likes corned beef. (Also, someone already posted a Cooking on the Ridge article on the recipe.)

My next plan was to prepare a potato soup, but, honestly, I’ve already written an article covering a similar recipe. So, honestly, how many potato soup recipes does the website need?

So, I decided to forget Irish cuisine and hop on over to the island across from it by cooking a British dish.

I’ve been quite curious about British cuisine because of all the curious names their dishes have. Bubbles and Squeak. Bangers and Mash. Spotted dick. And the dish I’ve decided to make: Toad in the Hole.

Essentially, Toad in the Hole are sausages cooked in a puffy pastry, often served with mashed potatoes and onion gravy.

My attempt at this was certainly a matter of trial and error that leaned more toward error. The pastry was supposed to be fluffy while the one I prepared…eh, not so much.

Maybe next time I’ll test my skills with a simpler dish like Bangers and Mash (sausages with mashed potatoes and peas). For now, this was a good first attempt at British cooking.

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Toad in the Hole (from AllRecipies)

Ingredients

Batter:

4 large eggs

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pinches cayenne pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¾ cup whole milk

¼ cup cold water

Sausages:

¼ cup vegetable oil

4 links pork sausage

Onion gravy:

2 tablespoons butter

1 large red onion, minced

kosher salt to taste

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, or to taste

Directions

1) Prepare batter: Combine eggs, salt, pepper, cayenne, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, and milk in a large bowl; whisk thoroughly until batter is very smooth and no lumps remain. Whisk in water. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

2) Prepare sausages: Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and transfer to a buttered 9×12- or 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour oil from the skillet over the sausages; brush oil with a pastry brush all over the bottom and up the sides of the dish.

3) Start onion gravy: Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt; sauté until soft and starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

4) While onion is cooking, pour batter in and around the sausages. Place in the center of a cold oven and turn temperature to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Set oven timer for 30 minutes.

5) While toad in the hole cooks, finish onion gravy: Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and return to a simmer. Add Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar and simmer until gravy thickens up and reduces, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in green onions. Taste and adjust seasoning.

6) When timer goes off, remove toad in the hole from the oven; it should be browned and puffed. Spoon gravy over the sausages and garnish with green onions and chives.

7) Serve with extra gravy.