Five a Day Toad (4-6)
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Put the porcini in a heatproof bowl and pour over 800ml just-boiled water. Cover with a plate and leave to steep for at least 20 minutes, while you get everything else ready.
  2. For the batter, in a large bowl vigorously whisk the eggs, milk and mustard for about a minute, until good and foamy. In a second large bowl, combine the flour with a teaspoon of salt, pour in the egg mixture and whisk again, until smooth. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Put all the root vegetables, the olive oil, tomato paste, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and good grind of pepper in a large, roughly 34cm x 26cm roasting tin.
  4. Toss to coat and combine, roast for 20 minutes, then gently stir through the maple syrup and roast for 15 minutes more, until everything has softened and is nicely coloured. Transfer the vegetables and their flavourful oil to a bowl and give the roasting tin a rinse and a dry.
  5. Add the sunflower oil to the wiped out tin and put in the oven for six minutes, to heat up. Working quickly and carefully, remove the hot tin from the oven and pour in the batter.
  6. Top evenly with the roasted veg mixture, the whole cherry tomatoes and rosemary sprigs, then bake for 20 minutes. Turn down the heat to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and cook for 25 minutes more.
  7. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Put the oil in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for seven minutes, until softened and browned.
  8. Add the garlic, tomato paste and rosemary, cook for a minute more, then stir in the flour so it coats everything. Slowly pour in the porcini and their soaking liquid, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, then add a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper, and bring to a simmer.
  9. Lower the heat to medium, leave to cook for 12 minutes, then add the vinegar and cook for five more minutes, or until thickened to a gravy. Keep warm on a very low heat until you’re ready to serve.
  10. Stir two-thirds of the chives into the gravy and sprinkle the rest over the toad-in-the-hole. Serve warm from the tin, with the gravy in a bowl or gravy boat alongside.