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Toad in the Hole with Onion Gravy

Posted by Barbara Hanson, July 3, 2008 at 11:30 AM

I got the Cumberland sausages for this dish at Myers of Keswick in New York City, which you can read about Serious Eats: New York. To my surprise, I found that the Yorkshire pudding batter recipe is the same as that which I use for popovers, which makes sense, and also the one I use for ultrathin Swedish pancakes, which makes no sense at all.

- serves 4 but don't count on it -

Ingredients

For toad:
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound Cumberland sausage

For gravy:
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper

Procedure

For toad:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. While oven is heating, prepare batter: Whisk together flour, milk, eggs, and salt until smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes or so.

3. Heat oil over medium-high heat in large pan. Cut sausages into individual links. Pierce each sausage in a few places with a sharp knife.

4. Add sausages to pan, brown without cooking through, about 10 minutes. Adjust heat if necessary to prevent burning.

5. Directly from the heat, while sausages and fat are still extremely hot (this is absolutely critical) dump all into a 9x9” baking dish. Quickly arrange so sausages don’t overlap, pour batter directly over, and pop into oven. Bake for 40 minutes, without peeking, until puffed and golden. Okay, you can peek, gently. Open the oven door only a crack to check the color within the last five minutes of cooking time.

For gravy:
6. Heat butter over medium heat in medium saucepan. Add onions and saute until golden, almost lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

7. Add flour. Stir, in an attempt to distribute the flour, about a minute.

8. Pour in beef stock, and let come to a simmer as it thickens. Simmer for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve onion gravy alongside, or atop, the toad in the hole.
Should serve 4, but don’t count on it!

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My Own Favorite Roast Turkey

Posted by Jenn Smith, October 31, 2007 at 2:45 PM

The "my" of this recipe's title is James Beard, who observed that "American food is anything you eat at home". As no meal is more associated with home cooking than Thanksgiving, and no food writer was a greater champion of our country's regional cooking, it seems fitting to select a recipe for the Great American Bird from James Beard's American Cookery. The recipe has simple flavors to let the taste of the turkey take center stage, and gives step-by-step for trussing. It's also a nostalgic choice: my grandmother made giblet gravy according to Beard's instructions.

Continue reading »

Post a Comment | Tagged: dressings, gravy, stuffings, Thanksgiving, turkeys