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Preheat the oven to 450°F. Pour the oil into a medium-size rectangular baking dish and put into the oven to heat. In the meantime, brown the sausages in a skillet on both sides. When the oil in the baking dish is hot, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Lay the sausages in the pan. Remove the batter from the refrigerator, give it one final whisk, and pour it over the sausages. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake another 10 minutes, until the pudding is puffed up around the edges and the edges are brown.

Serves 4

The point of this pudding is similar to Yorkshire pudding: to round out the meal so less meat could be served. The trademarks of the Derby (pronounced “darby”) pudding are lots of sage and onions.

Derby Savory Pudding

2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned, not quick-cooking or instant)

2½ cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground sage

2 onions, finely chopped

½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch square pan. Combine the bread crumbs and oats in a large mixing bowl. Pour the milk over it and let it stand 15 minutes until absorbed, stirring occasionally (it will be hard to stir, as it will be very stiff).

Whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper, and sage. Add the egg mixture to the oats mixture and stir to combine. Add the onions and mix well. Add the melted butter and mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is dry and the pudding feels firm. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then cut into 2-inch squares. Serve hot or cold.

Makes 16 (2-inch) squares

“Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot nine days old.” This famous nursery rhyme was inspired by pease pudding (which used to be called pease pottage in the Middle Ages) or pease porridge. This is a very, very old dish, but it's still eaten today, often with bacon or sausages, and it's surprisingly good.

Pease Pudding

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 14-ounce cans chicken broth

1 pound yellow or green split peas, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet or pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chicken broth, peas, salt, and pepper and simmer over low heat, covered, until very thick, about 1½ hours. Once the pudding begins to thicken, stir every 10 minutes to avoid scorching. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Serve hot or cold as an accompaniment to bacon or sausages, or if you prefer, roast beef or chicken.

Serves 6

Traditional Irish stew is easy: layer onions, chunks of lamb, and chunks of potato in a pot, add water and seasonings, and off you go. It's also very bland. For a deeper, richer flavor, we modern cooks prefer to sear the meat first, brown the onions, and simmer the stew in chicken broth instead of water. The results are worth the bit of extra bother.

Irish Stew

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds lamb chops, trimmed of fat and gristle and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

6 potatoes, about 2 pounds (Yukon Gold preferred), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ teaspoon ground thyme, optional

In a Dutch oven or wide pot, heat a teaspoon of the oil. Working in two or three batches, sear the cubes of meat in a single layer over medium-high heat until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a large plate and repeat, wiping out the pot and adding a teaspoon of oil between each batch.

Wipe out the pot and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sauté the onion over medium-low heat until light brown, scraping up the fond (browned bits) on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, 10 to 15 minutes.