Content

• Ingredients
• To step
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Scotch eggs are a great snack for a picnic or a tasty snack at a party. They are tasty and easy to make, and you can easily adapt them to your own taste with your favorite sausages and spices.

Ingredients

For 6 Scottish Eggs

• 6 eggs, for cooking
• 2 extra eggs, for icing
• 300g raw bratwurst or other sausage meat
• 300g minced pork or extra sausage meat
• 60g (½ cup) flour
• 120g (2 cups) breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil, enough for one inch deep in a pan.

Herbs (choose one or none):

• 45 ml (3 tbsp) finely chopped fresh parsley, sage, and / or thyme
• 15–30 ml (1–2 tbsp) curry powder or mustard powder
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped fresh ginger, plus chopped red pepper to taste.
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) each of cumin, cilantro and paprika.

To step

1. Boil six eggs (soft). Bring a pan of water to a boil, then reduce the heat. Gently lower the six eggs into the water and cook for six minutes. Placing the eggs in hot water instead of cold water makes them much easier to peel.
   • So many eggs in a pan at one time can change the cooking time somewhat. Cook them in two batches for more consistent results.
   • Use good quality eggs from a reliable source. Soft boiling eggs will not kill salmonella, and eggs from an infected source can cause serious illness in the young or the elderly.
2. Cool the eggs. Place the eggs in an ice bath or in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator so that they stop boiling. Chilled eggs are usually easier to peel.
3. Mix the meat and spices. The easiest option is to buy just 600g of sausage meat. This can sometimes be a bit fatty, and some chefs prefer a 50/50 mix of sausage meat and leaner ground pork. You can take advantage of the flavors in a spicy sausage, or opt for a regular sausage and mix in your own herbs and spices. (See the ingredient list above for suggestions.)
   • You can also buy raw sausages - Cut open the intestines and put the meat in a bowl.
   • Sausage meat usually contains enough salt and pepper, but you can add some if you use minced meat.
4. Peel the eggs. Tap the eggs all around with the back of a spoon and peel off the skin.
5. Prepare the production line. Place a line of ingredients on the counter, in separate bowls:
   • Soft boiled eggs
   • Meat
   • 60g (½ cup) flour
   • Two extra raw eggs, beaten until smooth
   • 120g (2 cups) breadcrumbs
6. Cover the eggs with the meat. Divide the meat into six equal portions, forming a ball for each. Dip the eggs in the flour to keep the meat in place. Make a hole in each ball with your thumb, put an egg in it and seal it with the meat.
7. Bread the Scotch eggs. Use your ingredients to add a crispy layer to the eggs:
   • Roll the meat-wrapped egg in the flour
   • Dip it in the beaten eggs
   • Roll in the breadcrumbs
   • Dip back into the beaten eggs
   • Roll through the breadcrumbs again
8. Fry the eggs. This is easiest with a deep fryer, but you can also fill a third or half of a deep fat fryer with vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 170ºC and fry the eggs for about ten minutes. If you are using a pan, cook two or three eggs at a time, turning them often so that they are crispy and golden brown on all sides. Place the eggs in a bowl lined with kitchen paper to drain excess oil.
   • If you don't have a cooking thermometer, put a small piece of bread in the oil to test the temperature. The oil is at the right temperature when the bread crunches and browns, but does not burn.
   • Cooking time depends on the amount of sausage meat around each egg and how evenly the egg is wrapped. If you are concerned about cooking the pork completely, place the boiled egg in a preheated oven at 190ºC for a few minutes.
9. Serve immediately and store in the refrigerator. You can eat Scotch eggs warm or keep them cool for later. For food safety reasons, it is better not to keep Scotch eggs outside of the refrigerator for more than two hours (1 hour in warm weather). If you take the eggs to a picnic, keep them in a cool bag.

Tips

• Serve with a spicy dipping sauce, as a topping for a Greek salad or Caesar salad.
• You can make a healthier baked version, but the eggs are more likely to disintegrate. Try to reduce the amount of meat to 450g and cook it in an oven at 200ºC for 25-30 minutes.

Warnings

• Do not use fresh breadcrumbs, they absorb too much fat. Dried breadcrumbs, breadcrumbs, or crumbled cornflakes are needed for a crispy texture.
• Fresh eggs are very difficult to peel. If you keep your own chickens or buy the eggs from a nearby farmer, use eggs that are at least a week old.

Necessities

• A large bowl
• Three smaller dishes
• Baking pan
• Saucepan