Meat mains
Venison toad in the hole
Before everyone settled on pork sausages, toad in the hole used to be made with any meat that was to hand – it works beautifully with the richer taste of venison sausages. Eat with rich, sticky onion gravy, roasted carrots and seasonal greens.
Ingredients
main
- 6 venison sausages
- oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
for the gravy
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp plain flour
- 250ml veg stock
for the Yorkshire pudding batter
- 300ml whole milk
- 75ml water
- 3 eggs
- 225g plain flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
Method
Make the gravy
-
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions and sugar and stir well. Gently cook on a very low heat for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until the onions are very soft and caramelised.
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Step 2
Add the vinegar, cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to thicken slightly. Turn off the heat and leave until needed; it can be reheated to serve.
-
Step 3
Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas 5.
Make the batter
-
Step 1
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Leave to stand.
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Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick flame and ovenproof non-stick roasting tin. Add the sausages and fry to brown on all sides.
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Step 3
Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons more oil to the tin and turn the heat to 220°C/Gas 7. Bake for another 5 minutes. Pour in the batter.
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Step 4
Cook for 25 minutes, until the batter is golden-brown and puffed up. Don't open the oven door to look at the batter while it's cooking or it will sink.
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Step 5
Serve with the onion gravy.