No toads were harmed whilst making this dish.

Toad in the Hole sounds disgusting, doesn’t look an awful lot better but it is a very tasty and economical meal. This isn’t something which I was given as a child, in fact I must have been over 20 when I first tasted it as that’s when I made it for my husband. It had been a staple of his childhood. My mother regarded it as TOO ENGLISH for us – being Scots and I think she objected to the pork meat which ‘link’ sausages usually contained, she preferred Scottish beef. Anyway, I’m sure it’s a well known recipe but in case it’s new to you – here goes!

Cooking time 35: – 40 minutes
Oven temperature:- 450-475 F. Gas Mark 7-8
then 375 F. Gas Mark 4-5

For the Hole
Basic pancake batter:

4 oz plain flour
1 or 2 eggs
half a pint of milk

For the Toad:
A splash of cooking oil
1 lb of sausages

Make the pancake batter in the usual way. Use 2 eggs if you want a richer mix.

Then put the cooking oil into a large metal roasting tin and heat in the oven for about 4 minutes. I cut each sausage into three pieces to make sure they’ll be properly cooked through but I’m sure it isn’t really necessary. Add the sausages to the roasting tin and heat in the oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully pour the pancake batter mix over the sausages. Cook in a very hot oven for the first 10 minutes, until the mix is beginning to rise. Lower the heat to moderate and bake until golden brown.

The edges will be quite crisp whilst the middle will have a softer consistency. Halved tomatoes or mushrooms can be added in with the sausages if you want to make it a bit different. Serve with a side salad.

I always use really nice sausages, you can get all sorts of different types now of course with added herbs, leeks, wine, beer and even cheese.

The oven temperatures and times may differ slightly depending on your oven.

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads. Hop over and have a look at what other people have been cooking up.