The caramelised sage butter is not a step you should omit. Why? Because it adds an absolutely terrific layer of complexity to the dish. Serve with a firecracker apple sauce for extra crackle.
Royal Warrant holder, DukesHill is renowned for championing artisan producers whose skilled use of unique and traditional methods create outstanding food and flavours. Their traditional British pork Cumbrian Curls are absolutely bursting with flavour from the addition of herbs and black pepper.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 DukesHill Cumbrian Curls
285ml whole milk
115g plain flour
½ tsp sea salt
3 eggs
Neutral oil - sunflower, vegetable oil
6-8 sage leaves
75g salted butter
For the apple and chilli sauce
Vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red chilli, sliced
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 cooking apples, peeled and chopped
4 tbsp cider vinegar
4 tbsp caster sugar
Salt and pepper
Method
To make the apple chilli sauce
Add a modest amount of oil to a pan over a medium heat and add the onions, coriander seeds and chilli. Allow to cook down for 7 or so minutes, before adding the apple, sugar and vinegar and seasoning to taste. Put a lid on the pan and gently cook for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the apple softens. Taste and correct the seasoning and adjust the balance of sugar and vinegar if necessary.
To make the toad in the hole
In an ideal world, make your batter in advance so it has time to rest in the fridge - preferably overnight. Failing that, 20 minutes of resting time will help to create a lighter batter. To make the batter, whisk the flour, milk, eggs and salt until thoroughly combined. Place in the fridge to rest.
Preheat your oven to 180c and pop a rack in the centre.
Add a generous amount of oil to two round ovenproof serving dishes - choose a size slightly larger than your Cumberland sausages. Place in the oven until the oil is hot.
Add the sausages and return to the oven for approx 10 minutes. Now, remove the sausages while you crank the oven up to the highest setting. When it is hot, add the batter to the hot oil around your sausages and place in the centre of the oven. Be very careful as it will spit! Close the oven door and don't be tempted to open it again while the batter is cooking. Allow to cook for 20 minutes - until the batter is risen and golden brown.
In the meantime, make the sage butter by heating the butter in a pan. When melted, add the sage and continue to cook until the butter has turned golden brown. Watch it closely and remove from the heat before it gets too dark as the residual heat will continue to darken the butter. Set to one side.
When the toad in the hole comes out of the oven, brush with the sage butter liberally. Serve with apple sauce on the side. Perfect with jacket potatoes, sweet potato wedges or mashed potatoes.
Wine pairing
Experience the Richness of Gouguenheim Blue Melosa Malbec all available from DukesHill.
The rustic charm of Cumbrian Curl sausages encased in crisp batter calls for a fruity, full-bodied wine such as this Malbec. The ripe fruit notes also stand up well to the hit of heat provided by the chili sauce.