Toad-in-the-Hole

This strangely-named recipe is originally from England. The egg mixture puffs up to make a very lovely looking dish that is perfect for supper.

1 cup of all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. small, fresh pork sausages

To make the batter in a blender, combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt and a few grindings of pepper in the blender jar, and blend at high speed for 2 or 3 seconds. Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the jar, and blend again for 40 seconds.

To make the batter by hand, beat the eggs and salt with a whisk until frothy. Slowly add the flour, beating constantly. Then pour in the milk in a thin stream and beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Refrigerate the batter for at least an hour (or stick it in the freezer while you cook the sausages).

Place the sausages side by side in a heavy skillet. Prick them once or twice with a fork, add two tbl. water, cover tightly, and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Then remove the cover, increase the heat to moderate, and continue to cook, turning the sausages frequently with tongs or a spatula until the water has evaporated and the sausages have begun to brown in their own fat.

Arrange the sausages in a single layer in a 6” x 10” x 2” deep baking dish, moistening them with 2 tbls. of their own drippings. Keep them at least an inch apart. Then pour the batter over them and bake in the middle of a 400 oven for 30 minutes, or until the pudding has risen over the top of the pan and is crisp and brown. Serve at once.