This recipe I am sharing with you today is a twist on the traditional Toad in the Hole. For those of you who are not familiar with the dish, rich and meaty pork sausages are roasted in the oven with a Yorkshire pudding batter. It is usually served with a pile of mash and a delicious onion gravy. You can find my original recipe here. On that occasion I wrapped the sausages with streaky bacon. So yummy.
This recipe is one I saw on the Delicious Magazine homepage. It looked really delicious. (No pun intended.) I love cornbread in any way shape and form, and it goes really well with sausages, so this just seemed to be like a recipe dream made in heaven!
I took the liberty of cutting the recipe in half to serve two people. I just didn't need more than that, so if you are wanting to feed more people, by all means check out the original recipe. I did, however, add North American measures to the recipe, so you can just double the amounts and increase the size of the skillet and it will work out perfectly to feed four people.
Normally I would serve mashed potatoes with Toad in the Hole, but was unsure if they would go with this version or not, and so, I just baked a sweet potato to go along side. Any baked potato would go well. You could also make a tomato gravy to enjoy along with it. I also think a side of baked beans would be an excellent choice to serve with this.
I had added some cherry tomatoes to the top of the cornbread to dress it up a bit, so did not opt for any gravy at all. This was really, really good! I hope that you will give it a go.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CORNBREAD TOAD IN THE HOLE
A few very simple ingredients. This recipe is sized to feed two people. If you wish to feed more you can refer to the original recipe on Delicious, or just double the ingredients you see here and the size of the pan to serve four.
- 4 meaty pork sausages (about 200g/7 ounces)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- A good pinch of dried thyme, or one sprig of fresh thyme
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- Scant 1/2 cup (7 TBS/75g) cornmeal (polenta)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup (85g) plain all purpose flour
- 6 fluid ounces (142ml ) buttermilk
- 1 medium free range egg, beaten
- 1 TBS butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- half a dozen cherry tomatoes (optional)
- Additional fresh thyme or parsley to scatter on top (optional)
My sister and I had picked up some frozen sausages at the grocery shops at the weekend. They had the Schneiders on special for buy one package, get one free. I used four of those. Usually we make our own sausages, but we are out of them now and need to make some more.
These were chipolata size, and two were just enough for each serving. If you are using thicker sausage, you will only need one per person.
I did not have any fresh thyme and so I used dried thyme, just a pinch scattered over the sausage and onion during the initial bake.
My cornmeal was coarse. I would much prefer a finer grain, but it was all that I could find. In the U.K. use a fine polenta. It will work out perfectly.
If you do not have buttermilk I have found that mixing equal parts of whole fat plain yogurt and whole milk make a very ample substitute. Rich and thick, just like buttermilk.
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD TOAD IN THE HOLE
This is a lot easier to make than it looks!! Just take it step by step. You can put the cornbread batter together while the sausages are baking for their initial oven bake.
Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Put the oil in the skillet along with the onions and sausage. Season and add the sprig of thyme.
Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes while you put together the batter for the cornbread.
Whisk the flour, cornmeal, soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg in a beaker. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet. Beat together until well combined.Take the skillet out of the oven and remove the sausage and onion. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt.
Spoon in 2/3 of the cornmeal batter. Lay the sausages, browned side down, over top of the batter along with the onions. Spoon the remaining batter around them. Add the cherry tomatoes to the top, if using.Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter the thyme or parsley on top if using and serve warm.
This was really simple to make and really delicious. I am a huge fan of cornbread anyways so this was right up my alley. I served it with a crispy baked jacket potato on the side. This made for a really yummy meal.
You don't have to add the tomatoes if you don't want, but they did go incredibly well and added a lovely touch of color to the while dish!
Are you fond of pork sausages, or any sausage for that matter? I don't eat them really often and my sister and I actually make our own most of the time. Here are a few ways we like to enjoy them that I think you might also enjoy!
SCHOOL DINNER CURRIED SAUSAGES - It doesn't get more British than this! The Brits love their curry and those flavor shine in this simple dinner. Meaty sausages cut into bite sized pieces and browned, then cooked in a simple curry gravy along with carrots and peas. Beautiful served with mashed potatoes or rice.
GARLIC BUTTER SAUSAGES & BROCCOLI SKILLET - If you are a lover of cruciferous vegetables then you will love this simple skillet dinner. Tender, juicy golden brown sausages and crispy tender vegetables in a lovely garlic butter sauce. I like to serve with a baked sweet potato on the side. Its one very delicious and color-filled meal!
Yield: 2 - 3 servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner
Cornbread Toad in the Hole
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 MinA fabulous twist on the original toad in the hole, with meaty sausages, caramelized onions, some sweet cherry tomatoes, thyme roasted in a light cornbread. Delicious! You will need an 8-inch oven-proof skillet.Ingredients
- 4 meaty pork sausages (about 200g/7 ounces)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- A good pinch of dried thyme, or one sprig of fresh thyme
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- Scant 1/2 cup (7 TBS/75g) cornmeal (polenta)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup (85g) plain all purpose flour
- 6 fluid ounces (142ml ) buttermilk
- 1 medium free range egg, beaten
- 1 TBS butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- half a dozen cherry tomatoes (optional)
- Additional fresh thyme or parsley to scatter on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Put the oil in the skillet along with the onions and sausage. Season and add the sprig of thyme.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes while you put together the batter for the cornbread.
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg in a beaker. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet. Beat together until well combined.
- Take the skillet out of the oven and remove the sausage and onion. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt.
- Spoon in 2/3 of the cornmeal batter. Lay the sausages, browned side down, over top of the batter along with the onions. Spoon the remaining batter around them. Add the cherry tomatoes to the top, if using.
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes. Scatter the thyme or parsley on top if using and serve warm.
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