I love this Toad-in-the-hole recipe partly because it is one of the few meals all my children will eat.

This is an upmarket version of a perennial favourite, made with ale and fresh thyme. Make sure you eat it straight from the oven while the batter is at its crispest. For this recipe you will need a muffin tin with 12 muffin moulds. The ‘toad’ in this dish, in case anyone is unsure, is made of sausage rather than amphibian

Toad in the hole recipe

• Preparation time:10 minutes
• Cooking time:30 minutes
• Total time:40 minutes
• Makes: 12

Ingredients

• 6 chipolatas, each cut into 2
• 125g plain flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 100ml good quality ale
• 80ml milk
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4 and bake the chipolatas for 15 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and reserve. Turn the heat up to 220°C, gas mark 7, pending the arrival of the assembled toad-in-the-hole.
2. Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and a little freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, then slowly whisk in the ale and milk. Take the muffin tin and pour a dribble of olive oil into each mould. Place the tin in the oven for 5 minutes until the oil is smoking hot. Remove it carefully from the oven and immediately pour the batter equally into the muffin moulds. Push half a chipolata into each mould and sprinkle with a few leaves of thyme, followed by a grinding of black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes without opening the oven door until fully risen.

Recipe from http://www.waitrose.com/christmas

So will you be giving this toad in the hole recipe a whirl?

Spectrum Mum

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