I recently made this for the family and visiting nippers and made the cardinal sin of forgetting the mashed potato! One of the greatest comfort foods from the British Isles, why should vegetarians miss out! Vegetarian sausages have improved massively over the last 10 years and certainly beat some of the mass produced supermarket varieties. For an alternative TVP free one have a go at the sausages recipe, but make them plumper than on the original recipe.
The key to a great result with toad in the hole is a good hot oven and plenty of whisking for the batter, plus of course a great gravy - the other cardinal staple.
Serves 4
Ingredients
10 plump sausages
230gm/5oz self raising flour (plain will do)
4 large eggs
250ml milk
50gm/2oz drained fine chopped sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon fine chopped rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon good oil salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 210 degrees/gas mark 6
Take a 35cm/15 inch long baking dish and place in oven to get hot for 10 mins.
Meanwhile make the batter, whisk together the flour, eggs and half the milk until smooth, then slowly pour in the remaining milk whisking constantly until smooth.
Remove hot baking dish from the oven, add the oil and fry the sausages carefully so sealed and lightly browned. Then return pan to oven for 5 mins to get hot again.
Whisk sundried tomatoes and rosemary into batter and season. Keep beating for a further minute.
Remove sausages from oven and cover three quarters of the sausages with the batter. Quickly return to hot oven and bake for 25 mins.
The batter should have risen and browned with the underside still a little soft.
Serve with gravy and mashed potato.
