"Cooking with LSP is as dangerous as it's absurd," you mutter darkly to yourself. But not so fast, it's possible and here's how.
Get hold of a large iron pot, a mixing bowl, some flour, a pack of Johnson's Original Brats, if you can't find English bangers, eggs and milk. Then bask in the cost-effective simplicity of the ingredients. Well done, you're making Toad in the Hole; cheap and simple, nothing fancy and mighty tasty.
Self-congratulatory reverie over, make the batter by mixing up a cup of flour, 3 eggs and 1 1/4 cups of milk in your bowl, the consistency should be smooth. Add a pinch of salt and set the mix aside in the fridge as you preheat an oven to 425. Have a glass of wine in the interim, or not. There's no rule.
Next step, pour some oil in the iron pot, add the sausages and fry until golden brown, for about 10 minutes. Watch them hiss and spit like defeated Democrats, then take your batter from the fridge, nicely chilled, and pour it directly over the sausages. (NB. some experts set the sausages aside, pour some batter in a hot pan to make a base, let it cook for 5 minutes, then add sausages and the rest of the batter. )
It won't look pretty. But don't freak out like a Spirit-Cooking Podesta staring down the barrel of emailgate, just put the whole thing in the oven, uncovered, and let it cook for 25 minutes.
After its stint in the oven, take the pot out and stare in amazement at the batter which has risen up around the sausages. Congratulations, you've made Toad in the Hole.
Cut it up and serve with onion gravy and vegetables. Then eat your scoff like a warrior.
And that's cooking with...
LSP
A hearty warrior's meal!
ReplyDelete"...a pack of Johnson's Original Brats, if you can't find English bangers..." Not to nit pick (although I have been known to do just that in the past), don't you mean "Johnsonville original brats?"
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in Germany for 6 years, I have to agree that Johnsonville's original brat recipe is about as close to the brats you can get in Munich or Frankfurt as possible. Just good stuff.
Right tasty, LL.
ReplyDeleteFredd, well spotted! I should update the post... and I reckon they taste alright. Mind you, I wish I could get English style sausage here too. Plenty of smoked sausage, endless smoked sausage and it's good, but no Bangers.
ReplyDeleteWhew - I was afraid you were going to forget the onion gravy. That looks amazing, LSP. Could I substitute Italian sausage? I'm not really fond of brats (though I recognize that Johnsonville does a pretty decent job with all their sausages.)
ReplyDeleteAs for real bangers? Make your own. I love making sausage and it's a zip with a Kitchen Aid. If you decide to do so, I will fill you in on all things sausage that I learned through experience.
Ok, so you get real bangers. You can make bangers and mash, it's true.
ReplyDeleteBut there is no proper English mustard and I need it to make my bangers taste authentic.
Then there are the proper beans needed for beans on toast (with bangers on the side with mustard). It's an endless problem, LSP. You need to open a BRITISH FOOD STORE there in Hill Country and introduce culture there. You must have fresh meat pies. They can't be purchased for love nor money in the USA. And bottles of sauce to go on pies and fish and chips.
Best brats I ever had were at Road American in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteAnd almost the best sweet corn-on-the-cob, too!
I think Italian sausage would work well, Adrienne. In fact, I was about to give that a go the other day.
ReplyDeleteMake your own sausage? Excellent idea. I definitely need to get that in hand -- venison, pork... the possibilities are endless. And all really tasty. Any tips very appreciated!
LSP BFS. Good call, LL.
ReplyDeleteBut, just so you know, it is possible to get English mustard, even here in Hill County.Strange, I know, but true. Beans? Different matter again.
Drjim, as I recall, Wisconsin brats and corn are truly outstanding!
ReplyDeleteYep, and when you're eating them outdoors at a world-class race track, with aluminum-block 427 Chevrolet CanAm cars thundering past driven by guys like Denny Hulme, it's even better!
ReplyDeleteIf you've got an HEB Plus in the neighborhood, they should have some Brit-made Heinz beans, next to the spotted dick and Barry's tea , if my local store is any indication. They're supposed to be building one up in Dallas sometime soon, tho Big D is big, they could plant it on the far side from you.
ReplyDeleteYour cast iron looks deeper than a plain ol' skillet, so, a Dutch oven size? Also, you didn't mention draining the grease before pouring the batter, so we leave that in?
Also, while they're not fresh, HEB Plus does have frozen Aussie-style hand pies, from a couple of Aussie ex-pats in Austin. http://www.boomerangspies.com/
ReplyDeleteProper nosh. Good job!
ReplyDeleteDrjim, that sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the Waco HEB, Mattexian and thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteLeave the hot grease in the pan or even better, Dutch Oven. You want it HOT, hissing, spitting and on the verge of smoking or just starting to. When you pour the batter it should sizzle on contact with the hot grease. Like holy water touching Cecile Richards.
Nothing quite like a good TITH, Jules!
ReplyDeleteNever tried this, but it looks pretty darn good. I like that you leave the grease in the pan. Why people pour off the grease I will never know, that's where the flavor is.
ReplyDelete