A Foodie Lives Here

I have delved deep to try and find the source of the wild and wonderful name for what is really just a simple sausage dish with fluffy yorkshire pudding batter poured over it. And have come up pretty much empty handed. Well, perhaps not so much empty handed as flummoxed by the maze of explanations that are out there. Whatever the reason for the bizarre name, I can think of no good reason why you shouldn’t make this very soon.

It’s definitely a new favourite in our house. I’ve cooked it twice in the last week and have unashamedly gulped down seconds both times. The added red onion, rosemary and apples adds a very special je ne said quoi that I think takes the traditional version from humble to hearty. Also, the gravy and smashed baby potatoes with minted peas on the side round things off rather nicely. Quintessential comfort food I say.

Serves 4 | Preparation time 10 minutes | Cooking time 25-30 minutes

WHAT YOU’LL NEED
For the Batter
250ml milk (1 cup)
100g plain flour
Generous pinch of salt
3 eggs
2 tsp dijon mustard

For the Filling
About 1/4 cup cooking oil
8 pork bangers
1 red onion, roughly chopped
2 apples, cored and roughly chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

For the Smashed Baby Potatoes with Mint and Peas
2-3 cups baby potatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
In a medium sized pot, cover the potatoes with water and boil until cooked through and can be easily pierced with a knife. Add the peas to the pot of potatoes for 2-3 minutes, drain, add the mint, season with salt and pepper and mash roughly.

*I also suggest simple home made gravy on the side. Just use store bought gravy powder and follow the instructions on the packet for how to cook.

WHAT TO DO
1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Mix together the batter ingredients in a mixing bowl, using a whisk, until well combined. Then set aside to rest while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. Take a medium-sized baking tin, about 30cm x 20cm and at least 5cm deep, and cover the bottom with about 1/2 cm cooking oil. Place on the middle tray of your oven and leave to heat for about 10 minutes.
Tip: Line the bottom of your oven with tinfoil as some of the oil might splash out of the baking tin during cooking.

3. Remove the tin from the oven, add in the sausages, onion, apples, rosemary and garlic, stir gently. *Be careful the oil will be extremely hot and might splash a little. Return to the oven for a further 10 minute or until the sausages are lightly golden.

4. Remove the baking tin from the oven, pour over the batter and return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed up. Remove and serve on warmed plates with the smashed potatoes and peas and gravy.