Butternut Squash in the Hole

When I came to make this toad in the hole dish I was going to use vegetarian sausages, but then decided to try using butternut squash instead. I reasoned that oven roasted squash is just as tasty as sausages and it transpires that this is a correct assumption.
 

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1.5cm slices with seeds removed
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 80g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 135ml milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
2. Run a knife around the corner edges of the slices of butternut squash so as to round them off. This prevents them from burning during the cooking.
3. Heat up the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
4. Fry the slices of butternut squash for a couple of minutes on each side, just until it starts to change colour a bit.
5. Place the butternut squash pieces and the oil from the pan into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish with high sides, such as a roasting tin.
6. Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes.
7. While it's roasting in the oven, mix the flour, egg and half the milk in a bowl or jug. Whisk with a fork until it's a smooth paste.
8. Add the remaining milk to the mixture, season with salt and pepper and mix until a smooth batter is formed. It's best to add the milk in two lots to prevent lumps from forming. You can do it all in one go, but you'll end up whisking it far more to get rid of the lumps.
9. Remove the butternut squash from the oven and pour the batter all around the dish, especially at the edges.
10. Return to the oven and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Try to not open the oven door as the batter rises best if it's kept in a hot oven.
11. Once the batter has risen and crisped up, remove from the oven and serve with lashings of gravy. I generally go for roast onion gravy using instant gravy granules.

 
Serves 2.