Scotch Eggs

About This Recipe

A Scotch egg is a magnificent portable snack — a soft-boiled egg with a golden, runny yolk encased in a seasoned sausage meat jacket, coated in crispy golden breadcrumbs and deep-fried to a gorgeous crunch. Cut in half to reveal the perfect orange yolk oozing from within, they are a British picnic essential and a pub classic.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 6 largeeggs (4 for wrapping, 2 for coating)
• 450 ggood-quality pork sausage meat
• 1 tspdried sage
• 0.5 tspground mace or nutmeg
• 60 gplain flour, for coating
• 100 gfine dried breadcrumbs
• 1 litrevegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Soft-boil the eggs

   Lower 4 eggs into boiling water and cook for exactly 6 minutes. Transfer immediately to ice water and leave for 5 minutes. Peel very carefully — the yolks should be soft.

2. 2

   Season the sausage meat

   Mix sausage meat with sage, mace, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 equal portions. Flatten each into a thin disc on cling film.

3. 3

   Wrap the eggs

   Dust each peeled egg in flour, then wrap in a sausage meat disc, sealing completely with no gaps. Ensure even thickness all around.

4. 4

   Coat

   Beat the remaining 2 eggs. Roll each wrapped egg in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb step for an extra-crispy shell.

5. 5

   Fry

   Heat oil to 170 °C (340 °F). Fry Scotch eggs for 7-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and the sausage meat is cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper. Rest 2 minutes before halving.

Variations

• •

  Use black pudding mixed with sausage meat for a Scottish twist.

• •

  Bake at 200 °C for 25 minutes instead of frying for a lighter version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days. Best eaten at room temperature. Reheat in a 180 °C oven for 10 minutes.