Veggies in a hole

This is a version of the family favourite ‘Toad in the hole’ where roasted vegetables are substituted for sausages and baked in a crisp, puffed up batter. This is a tasty way of packing a variety of delicious vegetables into your diet. In this recipe the batter is made with Oat Drink instead of cows milk.

You will need approximately 600g of vegetables, washed chopped into 2cm cubes or small wedges. Vegetables suitable for roasting are: carrots, beetroot, celeriac, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions and parsnips.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the roast vegetables

600g of vegetables such as:

2 small beetroots

1 red onion

100g Chantenay carrots

100g celeriac

100g butternut squash

4 portobello mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 sprig rosemary, chopped

5 fresh sage leaves chopped

a few fresh thyme sprigs

1-2 tbsp olive oil

pinch sea salt flakes and pepper

For the batter

200g plain flour

4 large free-range eggs

200 ml Oat Drink

2 tbsp sunflower oil (or oil that can be heated to a high temperature)

veggie gravy to serve

You will also need...

1.5 litre baking dish or shallow casserole

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the vegetables in a large roasting tin, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and scatter on the rosemary, sage and thyme (reserve a teaspoonful for serving). Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes until tender and starting to caramelise. Shuffle the vegetables around a bit in the tin after 15 minutes to ensure they cook evenly. Remove the vegetables from the oven when they are soft and have begun to caramelise.

Turn the oven up to 225°C/425°F/gas 9.

Drizzle 2 tbsp sunflower oil into the 1.5 litre baking dish, then put it in the middle of the hot oven for 5 -10 minutes to heat up.

To make the batter: sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs, then pour in the Oat Drink. Using a balloon whisk, beat to make a smooth batter (you should see bubbles start to appear on the surface).

Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour in the batter. Arrange the roasted vegetables on top. Return the dish to the oven quickly and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until puffed up, golden and cooked through.

If you have a plentiful supply of sage leaves, fry a few in hot olive oil to decorate the dish before serving. Otherwise serve with the reserved chopped herbs.

Serve with a jug of piping hot gravy, some mustard or horseradish sauce.