Toad-in-the-Hole, a British "comfort food" dish consisting of pork sausages baked in a popover batter, is a family favorite in my house. It's often served with onion gravy and traditionally appears at suppers. Nonetheless, I like the dish--modified--for breakfast. My version retains the toad-in-the hole concept, but I've "lightened" the dish considerably so that it's better nutritionally and a lot easier on the digestion. My version uses low-fat chicken sausages and a popover-like batter to build a breakfast dish that's filling but, unlike the classic British "toad" neither loaded with fat drippings nor heavy on the stomach. The sausages cook first in the air fryer (or oven, if you prefer), and then a simple egg and flour batter covers them and puffs up during a quick bake. The dish is a little different from the usual breakfast fare, quite tasty, and easy to make. Try it with fresh fruit and, if you want to keep with a British theme, some hot scones. Enjoy!
Air Fryer (or Oven) Toad-in-the-Hole -- Serves 2-4
8 ounces of fully cooked small chicken breakfast sausage links (I use Aldi's, 7 to
a package)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup of flour
1 cup of low-fat milk
1 teaspoon of grainy Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of lemon pepper
1 tablespoon of bacon crumbles (optional)
Spritz a 6-inch round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the sausages into 2-inch pieces and scatter them in the pan. Put the pan in the air fryer basket, put the basket in the air fryer, and brown the sausages in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes (or preheat the oven to 425 and brown the sausages for about 10 minutes). In a bowl or measuring container, whisk together until well blended, the eggs, flour, milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and bacon crumbles, if you're using them. Pour the mixture over the air fried (or baked sausages) and return the pan to the air fryer for 10-15 minutes until the "toad" is puffed and brown (or bake the mixture for about 20 minutes in the oven). Let the "toad" cool a few minutes and serve it hot. It will deflate a bit but still look, and especially taste, great!
