How to Make Toad in the Hole

Nigel Slater shares the secrets behind the perfect toad: skinless sausages, red hot dripping and a few hidden extras.

Ingredients

• 2 free-range eggs
• 125g/4½oz plain flour
• 150ml/5fl oz milk mixed with 150ml cold water
• 1 level tbsp grain mustard
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 fat, herby pork sausages
• 100g/3½oz thinly sliced prosciutto, pancetta, Serrano ham or thin streaky bacon
• 3 tbsp dripping or lard

To serve

• brown onion and madeira gravy

Preparation method

1. Whisk together the eggs, flour, milk, mustard and seasoning, beating out any little lumps of flour. The consistency should be about that of ordinary double cream, but no thinner. Rest for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
3. Carefully remove the skin from each of the sausages. Wrap each piece of skinned sausage meat in a piece of cured ham.
4. Put the dripping or lard in a roasting tin and leave it in the oven until it is smoking.
5. Pour in the batter - it will sizzle softly in the hot fat - then arrange the sausages in the batter.
6. Transfer the tin back into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve with brown onion and madeira gravy.