isithalal.food · Recipes

Halal toad-in-the-hole

A herby, mustardy Yorkshire batter baked around Halal sausages wrapped in Halal beef or turkey bacon, with a caramelised red onion gravy made with stock instead of red wine.

British · Main · Easy · 1 roasting tin, about 30 x 22 cm · 180 min

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

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Why Halal checks matter here

Conventional sausages are typically pork, this version wraps them in smoked streaky bacon, and the onion gravy is made with red wine, balsamic vinegar and chicken or beef stock.

Halal-critical ingredients

• Sausages: The published recipe leaves the sausage to you, and conventional Western sausages are typically pork or in pork casings. A sausage is decided by its meat, the slaughter, the casing, and whether wine or a pork starter culture went into the mix. Use Halal-certified beef or chicken sausages. See Sausage.
• Streaky bacon: The published recipe wraps each sausage in smoked streaky bacon, which is pork. Turkey and beef bacon contain no pork but need Halal-slaughtered meat too. Use Halal-certified beef bacon or turkey rashers, or leave the wrap out. See Bacon and Turkey bacon.
• Red wine: The published gravy adds 250 ml of red wine and reduces it by half. This site does not treat alcohol cooked into a dish as Halal. Use the same amount of extra stock, as here. See Wine.
• Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar is made wholly or partly from grape must, and many bottles also contain wine vinegar; scholars differ on vinegar made from wine. Use it if your school accepts it, or leave it out. See Balsamic vinegar.
• Stock: Chicken and beef stock cubes and pots contain meat fat or extract that is not shown to be Halal. Use a Halal-certified stock or a vegetable stock labelled vegan or vegetarian. See Stock cubes.

Ingredients

Batter

• 140 g plain flour
• 4 large eggs
• 300 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• a handful woody herbs (about 6 sage leaves, 4 rosemary sprigs and 4 thyme sprigs), leaves chopped

Toad

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 8 Halal beef bacon or Halal turkey rashers (instead of smoked streaky bacon)
• 8 fat Halal beef or chicken sausages (instead of pork sausages)
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges

Onion gravy

• a drizzle sunflower oil
• 2 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (see the vinegar check below)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 250 ml Halal chicken or beef stock, or vegetable stock (instead of 250 ml red wine)
• 500 ml Halal chicken or beef stock, or vegetable stock

Method

1. Make and rest the batter. Tip the flour into a large jug or bowl, crack in the eggs one at a time, whisking, then whisk in the milk until smooth. Add the mustard, chopped herbs and some seasoning, cover and set aside for 2 hours, or chill overnight.
2. Roast the sausages. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat the oil in a metal roasting tin or enamel dish, about 30 x 22 cm with high-ish sides. Wrap a Halal bacon rasher round each sausage and put them in the tin with the onion wedges. Cook on the middle shelf, with the top shelf removed, for 15 to 20 minutes until browning and sizzling.
3. Start the gravy. Meanwhile, drizzle a little oil into a saucepan and cook the sliced onions slowly for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and caramelised. Add the sugar and balsamic and cook for 5 minutes more until sticky.
4. Bake the batter. The batter should be like double cream; add a splash of cold water if it has thickened. Pull out the oven shelf and quickly pour the batter around the sausages. Close the oven and do not open it for at least 25 minutes.
5. Finish the gravy. Stir the flour into the onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the first 250 ml of stock a little at a time to make a smooth, thick sauce, then bubble for a few minutes. Add the remaining 500 ml stock and some seasoning and bubble for 10 minutes while the toad cooks.
6. Serve. The toad should be puffed and deep golden brown; if not, keep cooking without opening the oven. Serve with the gravy, and green vegetables and mash if you like.

Allergens

gluten (flour), eggs, milk, mustard

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Ultimate toad-in-the-hole with caramelised onion gravy' by Cassie Best (serves 6: 140 g flour, 4 eggs and 300 ml semi-skimmed milk whisked with wholegrain mustard and chopped sage, rosemary and thyme, rested 2 hours or overnight; 8 fat sausages (it used Cumberland) each wrapped in a rasher of smoked streaky bacon, roasted with red onion wedges in 2 tbsp hot oil at 220C/200C fan/gas 7 for 15 to 20 minutes; batter poured round and baked at least 25 minutes without opening the oven; gravy of 2 red onions cooked slowly 15 minutes, 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp balsamic for 5 minutes, 2 tbsp flour, 250 ml red wine reduced by half, then 500 ml chicken or beef stock bubbled 10 minutes). We replaced the sausages with Halal beef or chicken sausages, the bacon with Halal beef bacon or turkey rashers, and the wine with the same amount of extra stock, asked for a Halal or vegetable stock, and marked the balsamic as a check. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Photograph from our ingredient library: grilled sausages, not the finished dish from this recipe.