Toad in the Hole

Soft yet crispy batter surrounding browned chunks of rump steak

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City/Region: Scotland

Time Period: 1841-1897

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The Scots have always loved cows, from the wooly highland cattle to the beefy Aberdeen Angus. They were useful as beasts of burden as well as sources of milk, cheese, leather, and meat, and as such, they were a great source of mooooovable wealth in medieval Scotland.

This recipe and episode are dedicated to my dad for Father’s Day. He’s quite proud of our Scottish heritage, and our ancestors, the Maxwell clan, were cattle raiders who stole cattle (mostly) from the English.

Modern toad-in-the-hole is usually made with sausage, but older recipes, especially from Scotland, used beef like we are here. I used some very fancy wagyu rump steak that was sent to me by Crowd Cow, but you certainly don’t need to be that extravagant. Do get something of decent quality, as the beef isn’t covered up by a lot of other flavors and will really shine.

“Toad-in-a-Hole.” No. 1.
Mix a good batter of 2 or 3 eggs, some sifted flour, milk and a little salt. Put some of the batter into a pie-dish, lay a tender rump steak on it, well seasoned, and then pour in the rest of the batter. Bake it a nice colour, taking care it does not burn.”

— The Cookery Book of Lady Clark of Tillypronie by Charlotte, Lady Clark of Tillypronie, 1841-1897

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Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) flour
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk
• A pinch of salt
• 1 lb (450 g) rump steak
• Melted beef tallow or oil, enough to cover the bottom of your baking dish
• Salt
• Pepper
• Herbs, whatever you like, optional

Instructions:

1. Beat the eggs until they’re smooth.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl and create a well in the center. Pour the whisked eggs into the well and gently incorporate the flour.
3. When the batter becomes too stiff to mix, start adding the milk in a little at a time, gently whisking until it’s all incorporated. Whisk in the pinch of salt. Set it aside to rest for about an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
5. The historical recipe just says to “lay a tender rump steak on it”, but a whole rump steak would take up the whole dish. You can prepare it however you like, I cut mine into bite-sized pieces. Season them with salt and pepper, and herbs if you wish.
6. Heat a bit of oil in a pan. Sear the meat on all sides, then set it aside.
7. 10 minutes before the batter is ready, put enough of the melted tallow or oil into your baking dish to cover the bottom. Place the baking dish into the oven. You want it to be sizzling hot when you add the batter.
8. When the batter is ready, carefully take the dish out of the oven. Pour half of the batter into the dish. Arrange the meat in the dish, then cover it with the rest of the batter. Put it in the oven and do not open the door again until it’s done or it will deflate.
9. After 30 minutes of not opening the oven door, take the toad-in-a-hole out and serve it forth immediately.

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