The Best Scotch Egg Recipes

PROPER SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Put 8 eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, carefully peel them.
• Squeeze the sausages out of their skins and into a bowl.
• Pick and finely chop the herb leaves, add to the sausage meat along with a good grating of nutmeg, the mustard and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Give it all a good mix together then divide into 8 balls.
• Have 3 plates ready - one with a small handful of flour, one with the two remaining eggs (beat them together first), and a third with the breadcrumbs.
• Start by flouring your hands, then in the palm of one hand, flatten one of the sausage balls into an oval-shaped pattie.
• Roll a peeled egg in flour, then pop it in the middle of the patty Gently shape the meat evenly around the egg, moulding it with your hands until sealed.
• Roll the meat-wrapped egg in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Roll in the egg and breadcrumbs again for a really good coating.
• Heat the oil in a deep pan or deep fat fryer to about 150ºC/300ºF. If you have a cooking thermometer it's a good idea to use it. Otherwise, test if the oil is hot enough by adding a piece of raw potato and leaving it for about 1 minute - if it sizzles and browns, it's ready.
• Carefully lower the eggs into the pan and cook for 4 minutes, or until golden, turning them every so often. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper (if you're worried about the meat being under-cooked, deep-fry the scotch eggs until they're golden and crispy, then pop them in a hot oven for a couple of minutes.)
• Cool the Scotch eggs slightly, then arrange on board with a good piece of Scottish Cheddar, some pickle and a few pickled onions. Heaven.

THE BEST HOMEMADE SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Put six of the eggs into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes, then put straight into a large bowl of iced water for at least 10 minutes.
• Put the meat, herbs, mace and mustard into a bowl, season and mix well with your hands. Divide into six.
• Carefully peel the eggs. Beat the two raw eggs together in a bowl with a splash of milk. Put the flour in a second bowl and season, then tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Arrange in an assembly line.
• Put a square of clingfilm on the worksurface, and flour lightly. Put one of the meatballs in the centre, and flour lightly, then put another square of cling film on top. Roll out the meat until large enough to encase an egg and remove the top sheet of clingfilm.
• To assemble the egg, roll one peeled egg in flour, then put in the centre of the meat. Bring up the sides of the film to encase it, and smooth it into an egg shape with your hands. Dip each egg in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then egg and then breadcrumbs.
• Fill a large pan a third full of vegetable oil, and heat to 325F, 170C (or when a crumb of bread sizzles and turns golden, but does not burn, when dropped in it). Cook the eggs a couple at a time, for seven minutes, until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper before serving.

EASY SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Bring a pan of salted water to a rapid boil, then lower four of the eggs into the pan and simmer for 7 mins 30 secs exactly. Scoop out and place in a bowl of iced water, cracking the shells a little (this makes them easier to peel later). Leave them to cool completely, then peel and set aside. Can be boiled the day before.
• Put the sausagemeat, pepper, ham, stuffing and herbs in a small bowl, mix to combine, then divide into four equal balls. Squash one of the balls between a piece of cling film until it's as flat as possible. One at a time, lightly flour each cooked egg, then use the cling film to help roll the sausagemeat around the egg to completely encase. Repeat with the remaining sausageballs and eggs.
• Beat the remaining egg and put on a plate. Put the flour and breadcrumbs on two separate plates. Roll the encased eggs in the flour, then the beaten egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Can be prepared up to a day in advance.
• To cook the eggs, heat 5cm of the oil in a wide saucepan or wok until it reaches 160C on a cooking thermometer or until a few breadcrumbs turn golden after 10 secs in the oil. Depending on the size of your pan, lower as many eggs as you can into the oil, and cook for 8-10 mins until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper, leave to cool a little, then serve halved with some piccalilli.

SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Divide the sausage into six portions; flatten and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shape each portion around a peeled hard-boiled egg. Roll in beaten egg, then in cornflake crumbs. Place on a rack in a baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, turning every 10 minutes.

BAKED SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack over the foil.
• Cut and form pork sausage into 2-ounce patties. Place a hard-boiled egg in the center of each patty and press sausage around the egg.
• Beat raw egg in a small bowl. Place bread crumbs in another bowl. Dip each patty into the egg; roll in the bread crumbs to coat. Place coated patties on the wire rack.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve hot.

SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place eggs in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs sit in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool and peel.
• Flatten the sausage and make a patty to surround each egg. Very lightly flour the sausage and coat with beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs to cover evenly.
• Deep fry until golden brown, or pan fry while making sure each side is well cooked. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Cut in half and serve over a bed of lettuce and sliced tomatoes for garnish. If mustard is desired it looks beautiful over this.

SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Mix together pork, fennel seed, sage, salt, and pepper. Divide into 8 equal portions. Form a patty in your hand with the first portion. Flatten patty, place egg inside, and keep rolling egg and meat in the palms of your hands, until a thin layer of meat coats the eggs. Repeat this procedure until all the eggs are coated with pork mixture. Chill 20 minutes.
• Dredge chilled, coated eggs first in bread crumbs, then in eggs and bread crumbs again. Chill 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat oil in a large stockpot or saucepan to deep fry temperature (350 degrees F). Fry eggs, 2 or 3 at a time, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to a roasting pan and bake 10 minutes. To serve, arrange a bed of Watercress Salad on each serving plate. Slice eggs in half and place 4 halves on top of each salad. Garnish with tomato slices and dollops of Horseradish and Mustard and Mayonnaise for dipping. Serve while eggs are warm.
• Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Tear watercress into bite sized pieces and toss with dressing. Reserve in refrigerator.
• Blend ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use.

SCOTCH EGGS

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Place 6 eggs in a saucepan large enough to accommodate them in a single layer. Fill with cold water, covering eggs by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 11 minutes. Place eggs in ice-water bath; let cool 2 minutes. Gently press eggs against a hard surface to crack shells, then peel under cold running water.
• Put pork, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1 raw egg, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Using your hands, mix until combined. Using damp hands, break off a 2-inch piece (about 3 ounces) of meat mixture, and flatten into a patty. Place 1 peeled hard-boiled egg in center of patty, and work meat mixture up sides until egg is completely enclosed. Repeat with remaining meat mixture and eggs.
• Dust each wrapped egg with flour. Whisk together remaining raw egg and the milk in a shallow bowl. Place remaining cup breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl. Roll eggs in milk mixture and then in breadcrumbs to coat.
• Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan until it registers 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in 2 batches, fry eggs until meat mixture is golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels; let drain. Serve warm or at room temperature.