Toad in the Hole, Mashed Potato and Onion Gravy

This recipe is adapted from a Gordon Ramsay recipe.

Serves 4
Toad in the Hole
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
8 good-quality pork sausages
150g plain flour
half tsp salt
2 large eggs
150 ml milk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Put the olive oil in an oven proof dish.
Add the sausages and toss to coat them in oil.
Put in the oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the batter. Put the flour, salt and eggs in a bowl then gradually add the milk whilst you whisk the mix.
Take the sausages out of the oven and pour the mix around them.

Sausages + Batter

Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Finished Toad in the Hole

Gravy
Ingredients:
knob of butter
1 and a half finely sliced onions
salt
pepper
1 and a half tbsp plain flour
300 ml chicken stock
1 tsp english mustard
splash of cider

Method:
Melt the butter in a pan and add the onions.
Heat over a low heat until soft.

Soften the onions

Add the flour and turn the heat up.
Fry for a couple of minutes and add the splash of cider.
Gradually add the chicken stock whilst stirring the gravy.
Once all the stock has been added, add some salt, pepper and the mustard.

Add the liquid

Simmer gently to reduce to the desired thickness.

Mash
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, peeled
splash of milk
1 tsp English mustard
knob of butter

Method:
Chop the potatoes into chunks a couple of inches wide and put in a pan of boiling water.

Boil the potatoes

Once the potatoes are soft, drain them and mash them.

Mash the potatoes

Add some milk, butter and mustard to taste.

Combine all 3 on a plate and eat.

Toad in the hole, mashed potato and onion gravy

Lamb Hotpot

When the weather’s cold outside, there’s nothing better than a nice stew, got this recipe from Nigel Slater. I had to cheat slightly as we don’t have a casserole dish, instead I fried everything then put it all together in an oven proof dish.

Ingredients
4 thick lamb neck chops
plain flour, for dredging
good glug fruity olive oil
3 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
2-3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into sixths
6 large, juicy garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6-8 fresh rosemary sprigs
6-8 small potatoes, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Lightly dredge the lamb chops in the flour. Heat the oil in a shallow ovenproof pan with a lid, then add the lamb chops and cook until browned on both sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.

Brown the lamb

Add the onions, parsnips and garlic to the same pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the rosemary.

Fry the veg

Return the lamb chops to the pan, tuck the potatoes around the chops, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour in just enough water to cover the pan contents. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper the same size and shape as the inside of the pan. Place the paper circle over the lamb and vegetables, then cover the pan with the lid.

Cook in the preheated oven for an hour or so, until the meat is tender.

Serve

Apple and Mincemeat Tart

Before Christmas, Tash and I made some jars of mincemeat, we’ve given some away, made lots of mince pies but we’ve still got a few jars left. We also had some apples in the fruit bowl going soft, what better way to use them than an Apple and Mincemeat Tart.

Found a recipe from here which worked really well. I’ll admit I cheated on the pastry, I got Tash to make it for me from a Rachel Allen recipe.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)
1 oz golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
225g shortcrust pastry
410g jar mincemeat
3 small eating apples (Cox’s are good for this)
a little milk or beaten egg

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C. Peel, core and slice the apples and toss in the sugar and spice until well coated.

Apples, Sugar and Cinnamon

2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until the thickness of a pound coin. Cut a large circular shape (no need to be perfect circle).

3. Spread the mincemeat all over the centre of the pastry circle, leaving an inch or so as a border.

Pastry and Mincemeat

4. Arrange apples on top of mincemeat and then bring the pastry up around the edge of the filling, pressing together so that the sides stand up around the edge….

5. Brush the pastry with milk or beaten egg and then bake in the oven for 20 minutes until pastry golden and apples softened.

Before going in the oven

6. Serve hot or warm with ice cream, custard or cream.

Fresh from the oven

Finished

First Post

Hello and welcome.

I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a recipe book for myself with recipes I like and use often, then I thought about starting a blog I can update regularly as a place to save and share these recipes. This is that blog.