The Simple Way Gordon Ramsay Elevates His Yorkshire Puddings

No English Sunday roast is complete without Yorkshire pudding, the crisp, puffy savory dish served with gravy served either before or during the main course. Serious Eats says Yorkshire pudding is several centuries old, and its recipes date back to the 18th century. Historic U.K. says Yorkshire puddings were once served as an appetiser. The savory pudding was meant to potentially fill up a diner before meat was served, so the roast could stretch and serve more people. During that time, the puddings were also cooked underneath the roasting beef so that they would catch the drippings. 

Because they've been around a while, there are certain practices that are associated with making good Yorkshire puddings, which cooking expert J. Kenji López-Alt dissected in a series of tests for Serious Eats. At the end of the day, he comes to the conclusion that contrary to popular belief, housewives' tales of using warm batter, not cold, leaving the batter to rest, and not using it immediately didn't lead to better puddings (even if other tips and tricks, such as using beef drippings, adding water to make more crispy puddings, and starting with a hot pan, did).

But López-Alt did leave out one tip that British cooking maestro Gordon Ramsay shared on YouTube.

In his YouTube video sharing tips and tricks for making a memorable Sunday roast, Gordon Ramsay revealed that he likes taking a piece of fresh horseradish and grating a generous portion into the batter made with flour, eggs, milk, salt, and cold water to create a Yorkshire pudding with a kick. Once the batter is lump-free, Ramsay grates the fresh horseradish and "adds a handful to the mix." The horseradish comes in handy, especially because Ramsay takes a hard pass on using beef drippings, choosing instead to use vegetable oil "because it is a healthier option."

If the thought of using fresh horseradish is a bit intimidating, take heart — The Spruce Eats says the root, which is related to both kale and turnip, is easy to use. All you need to do is to take off its brown peel, and either shred or grate this aromatic root into your food. But take care and grate the horseradish just before you use it, as the site says it can change in both taste and color if it is allowed to sit out and oxidize.

If your root is big enough, you may also want to add the freshly grated horseradish to mashed potato or to use that as a base for horseradish cream.