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United Kingdom, Europe · Toad-in-the-Hole

Cast-Iron Toad-in-the-Hole with Beef Dripping and Red-Wine Onion Gravy

A herby mustard batter rested in the fridge and baked in smoking-hot beef dripping in a cast-iron pan for a taller, crisper rise, with a deep caramelised onion and red-wine gravy.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 8 min
Chilling the batter+ 1 h
DifficultyHard
About servingsRaw sausages must be cooked through (75 °C in the centre, no pink). Cast iron and hot fat can cause serious burns, so always handle them with oven gloves.

Method

  1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl, crack in the eggs, add half the milk and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the rest of the milk, the cold water, thyme leaves and mustard until it is like single cream. Swapping some milk for water makes it crisper. Pour into a jug, cover and chill for at least , ideally overnight; a rested batter rises taller and more evenly.

    Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 70 gSalt 1 pinchEggs 2Milk 80 mlCold water 20 mlFresh thyme leaves, chopped ½ tspDijon mustard 1 tsp

  2. While it rests, caramelise the onions. Melt the butter in a 20 cm pan, add the onions, brown sugar and thyme sprigs and cook slowly over medium-low heat for . When they start catching on the bottom, add a spoonful of water and scrape; wait until they are soft, jammy and deep brown. Rushing burns them without making them sweet.

    Add in this stepButter 20 gOnions, thinly sliced 1Soft brown sugar 1 tspFresh thyme sprigs 2

    medium-low heat

  3. Remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and bubble over medium-high heat for , scraping up the browned bits, until reduced by half. Gradually stir in the hot stock and Worcestershire sauce and simmer over medium heat for , until it coats a spoon. Season with pepper and keep warm.

    Add in this stepPlain flour (for the gravy) 2 tspDry red wine 80 mlHot beef stock 240 mlWorcestershire sauce 1 tspBlack pepper to taste

    medium-high heat→medium heat

  4. Preheat the oven to 230 °C (210 °C fan). Melt the dripping in a 20 cm ovenproof cast-iron pan, add the sausages and brown them over medium heat for , turning, until deep brown on all sides. Browning them first gives far more flavour.

    Add in this stepBeef dripping (or lard) 1½ tbspGood butcher's raw pork sausages (about 65 g each) 4

    medium heat

  5. Put the pan with the sausages straight into the oven for , until the fat is so hot it just begins to smoke.

    oven

  6. Give the cold batter a stir. Wearing oven gloves, take out the pan, pour in the batter quickly (it should sizzle) and return it to the oven at once for . Don't open the door for the first 20 minutes. It is done when tall and a deep mahogany gold. Cut a sausage open to check there is no pink.

    oven

  7. Let it settle for 2 minutes, bring the pan to the table, cut into portions and pour over plenty of red-wine onion gravy. The cast iron stays extremely hot, so always wrap the handle with a glove or cloth.

Cook's tip

Cold batter hitting near-smoking fat gives the most dramatic rise. No dripping? Lard or vegetable oil work, but dripping is the crispest and most savoury. The gravy tastes even better made a day ahead.

Cooking it at camp

It works at the campsite with a single cast-iron Dutch oven. Make the gravy at home and bring it in a jar, and carry the overnight-rested batter in the cooler. Brown the sausages over the coals, pour in the batter, put coals on the lid too and bake for 20–25 minutes.