Dried sage in the batter and sliced onion in each hole make Hairy Bikers sage and onion Yorkshire puddings taste like stuffing and Yorkshire together. And the recipe is from their BBC series Go North, making 12 muffin-tin puddings at about 95 calories each in roughly 1 hour 40 minutes.
“We still reckon Dave’s mum’s Yorkshire pud batter is the best ever”, they write, before adding sage to it in Meat Feasts. So these share its 2 eggs and 275ml of milk, but the sage goes in dried and each hole gets a nest of onion first.
Simmer the sliced onion in salted water for 3 minutes first, because raw onion won’t soften in the 20 minutes the batter needs. Then drain it really well, since wet onion hitting hot fat spits and slackens the batter where it touches.
Hairy Bikers Sage and Onion Yorkshire Puddings
Description
Dried sage goes into the batter before its hour’s rest, while the onion slices soften in a pan of boiling water. Both then go into very hot lard, goose or duck fat, and the puddings bake until risen and dark golden brown.
Ingredients
For the batter
For the tins and filling
Instructions
- Make the batter: Sift the flour into a bowl, then add a pinch of salt and the sage. Then make a well in the middle, add the eggs and whisk, gradually drawing in the flour, before slowly whisking in the milk. Or blitz everything in a food processor until smooth.
- Rest it: Leave the batter to stand for an hour, and turn the oven on for the last 20 minutes of it.
- Heat the fat: Preheat the oven to 220°C, 200°C fan, Gas 7. Then divide the lard, goose or duck fat between two four-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or one 12-hole muffin tin. And heat them in the oven until very hot. But two Yorkshire tins give 8 larger puddings instead of 12, so use whichever you have.
- Soften the onion: Meanwhile, bring a small pan of salted water to the boil and simmer the onion for 3 minutes. Then drain it thoroughly.
- Fill and bake: Take the tins out and divide the onion between the holes. Then pour the batter around it until it just reaches the top of each hole. Bake for 20 minutes, until risen and dark golden brown, then serve straight away.
FAQs
Can I make half plain and half sage and onion?
Yes, and their own tip suggests doing half and half with a classic Yorkshire pudding. So I make the batter without sage, pour half into a second jug, then stir ½ tsp dried sage into one before the hour’s rest.
Then only the sage jug fills the holes with onion, while the plain jug goes into empty hot fat. And if you want a whole tray of classics, their plain Yorkshire pudding has Dave’s mam’s version.
Can I use oil instead of lard or goose fat?
Yes, and in Meat Feasts they say “you can use oil if you prefer” for their sage and onion toad in the hole. And a heaped tablespoon of fat only gives each hole a thin film, so I brush it round if one looks dry.
I still reach for lard or duck fat, because I find it gives a savoury edge that suits the sage. And Dave’s mam’s plain version uses sunflower oil anyway, so neither choice is wrong.
Is this the same as their mini toad in the holes?
Almost, because the mini toad in the holes in British Classics use the same batter, fat, onion and tins, plus sliced sausages. But they bake at 200°C, 180°C fan, and joke you could call them “tadpoles in the hole”.
And their full-size toad in the hole from Meat Feasts simmers its onions for the same 3 minutes. So these Go North puddings are really that family of recipes with the sausages left out.
Can I use fresh sage?
You can, though their version uses dried, which spreads evenly through the batter as it rests. If I use fresh, I chop about a tablespoon of leaves finely, since fresh sage is milder than dried.
Add it at the same point, sifted in with the flour and salt, so it gets the full hour in the batter. And they’re best straight from the oven, which is why they say to serve them immediately.
What should I serve them with?
Roast pork or chicken, as they intended, with plenty of gravy for the sunken middles. And their pork belly with apples and sage from Meat Feasts is the natural partner, since the sage runs through both.
For a chicken dinner, their roast chicken in Chicken and Egg gets a 15-minute blast, then 20 minutes per 500g. So once the bird comes out to rest, I turn the oven up to 220°C, heat the fat, then bake these while it rests.
