Toads in a Hole!

One of the first things I ever learned how to cook (and still holding rank as one of my supreme culinary specialties) is something I've always called 'Toad in a Hole.' The dish is, essentially, an egg that has been fried in a cut out area in the middle of a slice of bread. I have my own special ways of making it perfect, though. For instance, I like to lightly toast the (always preferably wheat) bread before frying it and cook the whole thing really quickly at a high heat. It's also really important to keep the yolk runny and the egg in the hole, if possible. To do this, you can't miss the essential step of flipping the bread on either side once you've put it in the pan and before you put the toad (egg) in the hole. Flipping pre-toad serves the dual purpose of coating both sides of the bread with butter and allowing you to determine which side the bread lays flattest against the bottom of the pan. Once you've found the flattest side, you put the egg in and hope it doesn't run out of the hole... though egg white on the bread with an intact yolk is still very good. The intact yolk is really key. I like to top the finished product off with copious amounts of Old Bay.

Growing up and in recent years, I thought my family members and the people who I've made this for over the years were the only ones that called this delicious breakfast/brunch (but really, anytime. Who am I kidding?!) dish 'toads in a hole!' Turns out I was wrong! (Hey, it happens sometimes. Rarely. But on occasion, yes, unfortunately.) Apparently the folks at Flatbush Farm in Brooklyn, New York call it a toad in a hole, too. Perhaps next time I'm in New York I'll venture to Brooklyn and see if it's up to snuff. I doubt it. Mine's pretty fierce.
Discovery thanks to Cravings.