Toad in the Hole with Brown Onion Gravy

Hmmm…Toad in the Hole…it really doesn’t sound very appetising does it?! I mean who wants to eat a toad, in or out of a hole? It’s comfort food at its finest, a dish that’ll warm your cockles on the coldest of winter’s nights.

Toad in the Hole is a classic British dish and I always wanted to try it because it’s sausages cooked in a Yorkshire pudding batter and I LOVE Yorkshire puds!

The gravy is also traditionally British and it tastes A-Mazing! If you’re a busy chap or chapette you could just use packet, rich brown gravy but please do make the onion gravy at least once, so you know just how tasty it is…I promise you won’t regret it!

It’s inexpensive as it’s simply sausages, and the pudding is an easy milk and egg batter with a wee bit of flour. For the gravy, you only need onions, beef stock and some store cupboard ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

Yorkshire Pudding Batter
1 ½ cups / 225 g standard flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs (I use size 7’s)
2/3 cup / 160 ml milk
2/3 cup / 160 ml water
¼ cup / 60 ml sunflower or canola oil

Brown Onion Gravy
2 medium-sized brown onions
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups / 500 ml liquid beef stock or 2 teaspoons dry stock
1 ½ tablespoon standard flour
1 teaspoon hot English mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Toad in the Hole
2 tablespoons cooking oil
8 beef sausages

Serves 4 – 6

Notes

• If you don’t have hot English mustard you can use Dijon, Wholeseed or mix the hot, dry mustard with a little bit of water to make a teaspoon of mustard.
• Yes, you can use pork sausages and if you are using packet gravy, of course, choose pork to go with.

STEP BY STEP

Yorkshire Pudding Batter

First, sift the flour into a medium-sized bowl…

…and add the salt and pepper.

Create a rough well in the centre of the flour.

Add the eggs to the well.

Place the milk and the water into a small jug.

Grab a whisk and start whisking in the centre where the eggs are whilst at the same time slowly pouring in the liquid.

Just continue pouring it in slowly and whisking, letting the flour gradually fall in from the sides by itself.

When the flour stops falling in on its own help it out and then continue whisking the whole mix until it’s totally lump-free.

Place the Yorkshire pudding batter into the fridge to chill for one hour.

Whilst it’s chilling you can make the gravy and that will leave you free to do the vegetables whilst the toad in the hole is cooking

Brown Onion Gravy

Slice the onions through the centre, from root end to the stalk end.

Cut off a little at the stalk end but leave the root end on and then remove the peel.

• Tip: If you leave the root end on it will hold the layers of the onion together allowing you to slice or dice it without it falling apart making things so much harder!

Cut the halves up into ½ cm slices.

Place the slices in a frying pan and add the oil and the tablespoon of butter.

Over a medium-high heat, toss them a lot whilst letting them fry for 5 minutes.

• If they start to stick to the pan turn the heat down a little bit and/or add a little more oil.

Add the sugar, turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking, tossing often, for a further 10 minutes or until they have softened and collapsed. 

• Again, if they start to stick to the pan turn the heat down a little bit and/or add a little more oil.

Whilst they are cooking get the liquid stock ready or add a little boiling water to the dry stock (enough to dissolve it) and then top it up to the 2 cups with cold water. 

Once the 10 minutes is up, add the flour and stir it in for 1 minute.

Next, add 1 cup of the stock and stir it in well.

Still stirring, add ½ cup more of the stock and once it’s thickened slightly…

…add the remaining half cup, give it a good stir and then let it come to a boil.

Turn the heat down to medium/low or to where it’s just simmering (softly boiling).

Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and the salt and pepper.

Stir it all in and leave it to simmer for a further 8 minutes or until it has thickened and halved in volume.

Lastly, stir in the remaining teaspoon of butter.

Cover with a lid or cooking foil and leave it in the pan to reheat later when the toad in the hole is ready or place it in a gravy jug to reheat it in the microwave.

Toad in the Hole

When the Yorkshire pudding batter is nearly chilled, place a rack in the centre of the oven and turn it to 180°C fan/convection oven or 200°C conventional oven, on bake.

Place the 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in an ovenproof dish and add the sausages, turning them over so they are coated in the oil.

• The dish I used is of 12 cup capacity. It’s 28 cm in length and 21 ½ cm wide but tapers, so is less long and wide on the bottom.

Place the dish in the oven and cook the sausages for 10 minutes. Then turn them over and cook them for a further 10 minutes or until they are well browned on each side (no need for them to be cooked through yet).

Whilst the sausages are cooking retrieve the Yorkshire pudding batter from the fridge and give it a small whisking.

Next, carefully remove the dish from the oven and pour the Yorkshire pudding batter over the sausages.

You can quickly move the sausages to where you want them…

…and then return it to the oven and cook it for 30 minutes or…

• If your dish is smaller than mine it may take 5 minutes more and if your dish is larger it could be ready in 30 minutes.

…until the Toad in the hole is puffy and has browned all over.

It will start to deflate somewhat when it leaves the oven so serve immediately with the brown onion gravy, mashed potato and peas or beans. 

Keepin’ it Fresh – Keep well covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat it, cover it in aluminium foil and heat it at 160°C fan/convection oven or 180°C conventional oven for around 20 minutes or until the sausages have heated through.

Print Recipe

Toad in the Hole with Brown Onion Gravy

Toad in the Hole is a classic British dish. Sausages cooked in a Yorkshire pudding batter & served with brown onion gravy

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Resting Time1 hr

Total Time50 mins

Servings: 5

Ingredients

Yorkshire Pudding Batter

• 1 ½ cups / 225 g standard flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 4 large eggs I use size 7's
• 2/3 cup / 160 ml milk
• 2/3 cup / 160 ml water
• ¼ cup / 60 ml sunflower or canola oil

Brown Onion Gravy

• 2 medium-sized brown onions
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 cups / 500 ml liquid beef stock or 2 teaspoons dry stock
• 1 ½ tablespoon standard flour
• 1 teaspoon hot English mustard
• 1 teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Toad in the Hole

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 8 beef sausages

Instructions

Yorkshire Pudding Batter

• Sift the flour into a medium-sized bowl and add the salt and pepper.
• Create a rough well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs to the well.
• Place the milk and the water into a small jug.
• Grab a whisk and start whisking in the centre where the eggs are whilst at the same time slowly pouring in the liquid. Just continue pouring it in slowly and whisking, letting the flour gradually fall in from the sides by itself. When the flour stops falling in on its own help it out and then continue whisking the whole mix until it's totally lump-free.
• Place the Yorkshire pudding batter into the fridge to chill for one hour. (Whilst it's chilling you can make the gravy and that will leave you free to do the vegetables whilst the toad in the hole is cooking.)

Brown Onion Gravy

• Slice the onions in half, peel them and slice them into ½ cm slices.
• Place the slices in a frying pan and add the oil and the tablespoon of butter.
• Over a medium-high heat, toss them a lot whilst letting them fry for 5 minutes. (If they start to stick to the pan turn the heat down a little bit and/or add a little more oil.)
• Add the sugar, turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking, tossing often, for a further 10 minutes or until they have softened and collapsed.
• Whilst they are cooking get the liquid stock ready or add a little boiling water to the dry stock (enough to dissolve it) and then top it up to the 2 cups with cold water.
• Once the 10 minutes is up, add the flour and stir it in for 1 minute.
• Add 1 cup of the stock and stir it in well.
• Still stirring, add ½ cup more of the stock and once it's thickened slightly add the remaining half cup, give it a good stir and then let it come to a boil.
• Turn the heat down to medium/low or to where it's just simmering (softly boiling).
• Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and the salt and pepper.
• Stir it all in and leave it to simmer for a further 8 minutes or until it has thickened and halved in volume.
• Cover with a lid or cooking foil and leave it in the pan to reheat later when the toad in the hole is ready or place it in a gravy jug to reheat it in the microwave.

Toad in the Hole

• When the Yorkshire pudding batter is nearly chilled, place a rack in the centre of the oven and turn it to 180°C fan/convection oven or 200°C conventional oven, on bake.
• Place the 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in an ovenproof dish (12 cup capacity) and add the sausages, turning them over so they are coated in the oil.
• Place the dish in the oven and cook the sausages for 10 minutes. Then turn them over and cook them for a further 10 minutes or until they are well browned on each side (no need for them to be cooked through yet).
• Whilst the sausages are cooking retrieve the Yorkshire pudding batter from the fridge and give it a small whisking.
• Carefully remove the dish from the oven and pour the Yorkshire pudding batter over the sausages.
• Quickly move the sausages to where you want them and then return it to the oven and cook it for 30 minutes or until the Toad in the hole is puffy and has browned all over.
• It will start to 'inflate' somewhat when it leaves the oven so serve immediately with the brown onion gravy, mashed potato and peas or beans.
• Keep well covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat it, cover it in aluminium foil and heat it at 160°C fan/convection oven or 180°C conventional oven for around 20 minutes or until the sausages have heated through.

Notes

The brown onion gravy takes 5 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook. It can be done whilst the Yorkshire pudding batter is resting or whilst the toad in the hole is cooking.