MAKES 12 TRADITIONAL POPOVERS OR 18 MUFFIN-SIZE POPOVERS
Yorkshire pudding isn’t really a pudding at all, but a puffy, popover-shaped mass of yummy bready goodness, with a custardy center and a crisp, golden exterior. A traditional British side dish to roast beef, it’s made with beef drippings, and bakes while the roast is resting. You don’t want your beef to get cold while you’re waiting for the popovers to come out of the oven, so make sure to have all your ingredients ready so you can get these in the oven as soon as the roast comes out. The batter, less the pan drippings, can also be made a day in advance. You get a slightly better rise on popovers if you preheat the pans first in the oven, so if you have the oven space to do this, go for it.
11/2 teaspoons KOSHER SALT
6 large EGGS, at room temperature 11/2 cups WHOLE MILK, at room temperature
1/4 cup PAN DRIPPINGS FROM THE ROAST, melted butter, or a combination
Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk with a whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and foamy. Add the flour, stirring with the whisk just until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours, or up to overnight.
If you have the oven space, put the popover or muffin pans in the oven 15 minutes before you are ready to bake the popovers, to preheat.
After removing the roast from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 450°F.
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and whisk it thoroughly to recombine. Remove the pans from the oven. If you are using a popover pan, spoon 1 teaspoon of the drippings into each cup; if you’re using a muffin pan, spoon a generous 1/2 teaspoon of drippings into each cup. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each popover cup or 3 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup. Bake the puddings for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffy and deep golden brown. Remove the puddings from the oven and serve warm.