Toad in the Hole

It's that time of the year where we all crave comfort food and warm hearty family meals. I recently got a slow cooker and I'm enjoying trying out new recipes with it, there's nothing better on a cold day than coming home to the smell of a tasty meal cooking in the oven.

I've recently discovered Knorr’s Touch of Taste Chicken, which is perfect for lifting the flavour of a variety of chicken dishes from casseroles and soups to risottos and roasts. Although it is a Chicken stock, I've also tried adding a splash of it to my Spaghetti bolognese and Corned Beef Hash and was surprised how much more flavour the dishes had. I've also used it in this delicious Toad in the Hole recipe from Marco Pierre White. It's ideal for those crisp autumn days, sitting round a big hot pot of tasty grub on a Sunday afternoon!

Ingredients

3 medium eggs
250ml cup of plain flour
300ml semi-skimmed milk
6 good-quality Cumberland sausages (approx. 450g)
Dash of Knorr Chicken Touch of Taste
25g beef dripping or vegetable oil
Gravy, to serve

Method

- Pre-heat oven to 190˚C.
- Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk vigorously.
- Add the flour little by little, sprinkling it over the surface of the beaten eggs and whisk until it makes smooth paste.
- Add the milk in little by little, until it’s blended into the egg and flour mix.
- Whisk the batter well and season with a dash of Knorr Chicken Touch of Taste – this gives the batter a nice roasty flavour.
- Set the batter aside to stand for an hour or two. This will help make the batter light and airy when baked.
- Pre-heat the oven to 220˚C.
- Place a deep roasting tin the oven to heat through well.
- Heat the beef dripping or vegetable oil in a large frying pan on the hob. Add in the Cumberland sausages and fry until browned on all sides, turning often. I use Cumberland sausages because they’re large and chunky and work well in this dish. For a healthier version, you can grill the sausages instead of frying them.
- Transfer the browned sausages and the dripping or oil in which they were fried to the pre-heated roasting tin. Place the tin in the oven and heat through for 5 minutes.
- Pour the rested batter over the sausages in the roasted tin. Return to the oven and bake for 25‐30 minutes until the batter has risen and is golden-brown.
- Serve at once, with gravy on the side.

Tip

The key to this dish is making the batter carefully so that it rises nicely. To do this, first beat the eggs then whisk in the flour a little at a time, mixing well. Gradually add in the milk, making a smooth batter. Rest it for 1-2 hours.