Yorkshire puddings are so versatile. I love Toad-in-the-hole and I remember having them smothered with jam for a dessert when I was young. This recipe is taken from the idea of Toad-in-the-hole but instead of sausages, uses lamb chops. I have been surrounding my lamb chops roasting in the oven with a batter mix for years. The juices from the meat give the batter a fantastic flavour and I absolutely love the crunchy bits, making sure I scrape every last one from the bottom of the dish. Some time ago I made a Toad-in-the-hole which had used onions as well as sausages . The result was fantastic. I thought I would try the idea with the lamb chops and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I hope you give it a try.
I’ve always been a little confused about the different terminology for meat from a sheep so I took a look on Wikipedia and was amazed at how many classification there were. Below is some information from their page.
The strict definitions for lamb, hogget and mutton vary considerably between countries. In New Zealand for example, they are defined as follows:
- Lamb — a young sheep under 12 months of age which does not have any permanent incisor teeth in wear
- Hogget — a sheep of either sex having no more than two permanent incisors in wear
- Mutton — a female (ewe) or castrated male (wether) sheep having more than two permanent incisors in wear.
Younger lambs are smaller and more tender. Mutton is meat from a sheep over two years old, and has a less tender flesh. In general, the darker the colour, the older the animal. Baby lamb meat will be pale pink, while regular lamb is pinkish-red.
Other definitions include:
- Lamb — a young sheep that is less than one year old
- Baby lamb — a milk-fed lamb between six and eight weeks old
- Spring lamb — a milk-fed lamb, usually three to five months old, born in late winter or early spring and sold usually before July 1
- Yearling lamb — a young sheep between 12 and 24 months old.
- Salt marsh lamb — the meat of sheep which graze on salt marsh in coastal estuaries that are washed by the tides and support a range of salt-tolerant grasses and herbs such as sampfire, sorrel and sea lavender. Depending on where in the world the salt marsh is located, the nature of the plants may be subtly different. Places where salt marsh lamb are reared in the UK include Harlech and the Gower Peninsular in Wales, the Somerset Levels and Morecombe Bay.
Well here is the recipe.
Yorkshire pudding with lamb and onions Serves 2 (easily doubled)
- 4 lamb chops
- 1 small onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g/4 oz plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml/1/2 pt semi skimmed milk
- Heat oven to 220c/200c fan/gas 7.
- First make the batter. Sift the flour into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat in the eggs and then sufficient milk to make a smooth batter that is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Chill in the fridge until needed.
- Arrange the lamb chops and onion wedges in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with the oil. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and then quickly pour in the batter. Return to the oven and cook for 35 minutes or until the batter is risen and a golden brown.
Tasty Advice 