Toad in the hole is a traditional English dish that’s both easy to make and satisfying to eat. In the US this name often refers to a breakfast dish, but in the UK this main can be eaten anytime of day. Since it’s both easy and hearty it makes a wonderfully simple way to have your bread and sausages.
In this Christmas Toad in the Hole we are adding a whole lot more than just sausage to the Yorkshire pudding. Conveniently this also fits on a jelly roll pan (10”x15”) so it’s essentially a sheet pan meal that comes out of the oven full of yummy holiday flavors.
All the Christmas Fixins!
A firm British tradition is to have Brussels sprouts at Christmas. I know many folks here do as well since winter is this cruciferous vegetable’s harvest time. So we’re adding some of those to roast along with some onion, leeks, and carrots.
Then we’re making a very simple stuffing to make stuffing balls with. This gives such a wonderful aroma to the whole dish and it’s even easier simpler than most stand-alone stuffing recipes. Just roll into balls and then set aside.
Here’s another idea: you can use leftover stuffing to make the balls for the day after Christmas morning or for a dinner some post-Christmas night as well. I love finding new ways to use up leftovers and the holidays can be unpredictable in terms of how much food you might have leftover. You can also use stuffing mix if you want to cut down on the steps in this recipe.
Then we’re onto the protein. Bangers and rashers are a classic of English breakfasts. A rasher is a slice of bacon and a banger is a small sausage. Combine the two, the sausage wrapped in a slice of bacon, and you have what the Brits call pigs in a blanket. I know it’s a lot of names changing here, but stick with me!
For this dish the sausages are pre-cooked and the bacon will cook in the oven after being wrapped. For a crispier bacon experience you can pre-bake the wrapped sausages while you’re heating up the pan in the oven, but the sausages should already be cooked before wrapping.
Making the Yorkshire Pudding
We are putting all of these delicious things, each one iconic in their own way to Christmas dinner, into a big batch of Yorkshire pudding. Again the terminology across the pond is a bit different. Here pudding doesn’t refer to something sweet. Instead Yorkshire pudding is sort of an eggy bread that puffs up when it’s cooked. As it puffs up it surrounds the things we added in, making each slice of this festive pudding a taste delight.
The pan for the Yorkshire pudding does need to be hot as this initial blast of heat helps it to cook, but other than that the recipe isn’t super complicated when you consider that this makes a lot of food! It’s your main, veggies, and sides all in one pan!
This is a loaded up version of Yorkshire pudding that has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a holiday meal. And, you can change it up any way you like. Use mushrooms instead of pigs in blankets to make it vegetarian. Or add your favorite veggies if you don’t already see them listed in the ingredients.
Gravies to Go With
Since Yorkshire pudding is usually made to accompany a roast, there’s often a gravy from the drippings to go with it. But, in this case you can choose your own gravy. With that in mind here are some gravy recipes that would go well with this flavorful dish.
Emergency Homemade Gravy
Onion Gravy
Traditional Bread Sauce
Mushroom Gravy
May your Christmas be as full of merriment as this Christmas Toad in the Hole is full of flavor!
Christmas Toad in the Hole
For the Yorkshire pudding:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 6 eggs
- 2 ½ cups milk
- large pinch salt
For the toppings:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into small strips
- 6 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 sausage links, cooked
- 12 pieces bacon
For the stuffing balls:
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 3 slices bread
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or (or 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg
- 1-2 teaspoons water or broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Beat together Yorkshire pudding batter ingredients in large bowl, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. While that chills preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Place 1 tablespoon olive oil into 10”x15” baking dish or pan. Add onion, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and leeks to baking pan and toss to coat each piece with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned and tender.
- To make the stuffing balls heat oil in skillet then add 1/2 onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Pulse bread in food processor then add onion and remaining stuffing ingredients. Pulse until mixed. Roll into balls.
- Remove roasted veggies from pan. Add remaining olive oil pan and place in oven for 10 minutes.
- While the pan heats up wrap bacon around sausage, 1 slice of bacon for each sausage. Optional: for crispier bacon fry bacon-wrapped sausages in skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or bake in oven while pan heats up.
- Pour batter into hot baking pan then quickly add vegetables, stuffing balls, and bacon-wrapped sausages on top. Top with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until top puffy and golden brown on the edges. Cut into squares and serve with gravy of your choice.