Fabulous traditional English pub grub and a staple in our family and friends lives, light crispy Yorkshire pudding with outdoor reared Cumberland sausage from Cumberland in Cumbria just below Scotland that are flavoured with herbs and spices but predominantly with pepper. Served with creamy buttery mashed potatoes, a ratio of 250g of butter to 1 kg of potatoes and 150ml double cream, yes that’s right and finished off with a caramelised onion gravy. A wonderful dinner loved by everyone.
Prep time 20 minutes / Resting time 1 hour / Cooking time 45 minutes
Ingredients
(serves 4-6)
The Yorkshire Batter
200g plain flour
200g eggs
200g milk
1 large pinch of sea salt and white pepper
Toad in the Hole Sausages
12 Cumberland sausages (herby peppery)
3 tbsp of beef dipping
Gravy
1 glug olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 large spanish onions sliced
1 ltr chicken stock
300ml Maderia
50g butter
1 tbsp heaped corn flour
3 tbsp water
Best Ever Mashed Potatoes
1 kg floury potatoes, Maris piper or Yukon gold
250g salted butter
150ml double cream
15ml apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
The Batter & Sausages
Make the batter first, I like to leave my batter to rest on the side at room temperature for at least half an hour and up to 4 hours. Alternatively make the batter the day before and leave in the fridge to rest overnight, bring out 1 hour before cooking and just give a quick whisk. Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees C, place you sausages in a roasting tin with the beef dripping and pop in the oven for 15 minutes, at this point turn up the heat to 220 degrees C for five minutes, then really quickly open the oven door and pour the batter in to the roasting tin around the sausages, do this as fast as you can and pop back in the oven, I have got this down to 20 seconds, but don't rush and burn yourself!
Leave the oven at 220 for five more minutes then turn back to 200 degrees C, for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. This is not totally neccessary and if you are not in the kitchen during the cook or have to divide your time with the family, then just keep the oven at 200 degrees at all time. The reason I pop the heat up is I find I can get a better rise in the batter.
Under no circumstances, well apart from burning the house down, do NOT open the oven door until the final cooking time is up. Serve immediately with the onion gravy and gorgeous buttery mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potatoes
Put your peeled and quartered potatoes in a large saucepan of water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to a rolling simmer cook until fork tender, drain and leave to steam dry in the colander for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, add the pack of butter and cream to the pan and gently melt the butter, take off the heat, add the potatoes and apple cider vinegar, mash to your choice of smooth or with lumps, my family like lumpy and I’m a smooth girl!
The Gravy
Meanwhile to make a fabulous gravy, gently pan fry the onions in the oil and butter for 20 minutes until soft and caramelised take of the heat and leave to one side, bring the stock up to a rolling boil and reduce by half, add the Maderia and reduce by 1/3, now whisk in the butter on a lower heat. If you want to thicken the stock gravy further add the water to the cornflour and start by adding half the cornflour mixture, whisk and cook for a few minutes before deciding to thicken further or not. Taste and season with salt and pepper or more butter and add the onions, keep warm until needed.
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