Nigel Slater’s breakfast toad in the hole recipe

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/21/nigel-slater-breakfast-toad-in-the-hole-recipe

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The recipe

Make a batter by lightly beating together two eggs, 125g of plain flour, 150ml of milk, a level tablespoon of grain mustard and a little salt and pepper. When the batter is smooth, set aside.

Tear or cut 350g of herby sausages into large chunks. Warm a little oil or dripping in a frying pan, add the sausages and let them brown lightly. Slice 200g of back bacon into short lengths and add to the sausages until they are pale gold. Set the oven at 230C/gas mark 8.

Lift the sausage and bacon out of the pan and set aside, then add 100g of chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters. Fry until the mushrooms are soft and tender then crumble over 200g of black pudding. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes then add to the bacon and sausage.

Tip the bacon, sausage, mushrooms and black pudding into a roasting tin or baking dish with a couple of tablespoons of oil or lard, then heat in the oven until the fat is almost smoking. Pour the batter into the pan and slide straight back into the oven. Let the batter bake for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to 200C/gas mark 4 and continue cooking for a further 20 minutes until risen and puffed up. Serves 4.

The trick

The essential point when making any batter pudding is to get the fat truly hot and sizzling before you pour the batter in. The mixture should crackle and pop loudly when it goes in, so a crust is formed almost immediately.

The twist

You could add almost any vegetables to this, but tomatoes and squashes will make a wetter batter. Try thyme, finely chopped rosemary or cloves of roasted garlic.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk. Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater