Toad in the Hole
Onion gravy is a delicious match for this comforting dish of sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. This recipe first appeared in our October 2011 issue along with Beth Kracklauer's story, "Butchers' Banquet".
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Credit: Todd Coleman
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp. unsalted butter2 large yellow onions, sliced
1½ cups plus 1 tbsp. flour
2 cups beef stock
⅓ cup madeira wine
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. dry mustard
1¼ cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
8 tbsp. rendered bacon fat
6 slices prosciutto
6 large pork sausages
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make onion gravy: Heat butter in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-low heat; add onions, and cook until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp. flour; add stock, madeira, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set gravy aside.2. Heat oven to 425°. Whisk remaining flour, mustard, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk in milk and eggs; let rest for 15 minutes. Pour 6 tbsp. bacon fat into a 9″ × 11″ baking dish; heat in oven for 10 minutes. Heat remaining bacon fat in a 12″ skillet over medium heat. Wrap 1 slice prosciutto around each sausage; place in skillet, and cook until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Pour batter into hot baking dish; arrange sausages in dish, and bake until golden, 25–30 minutes. Serve with gravy.
You need to get the fat really,really hot in order for the batter to rise. Make sure it's smoking.