Make Scotch Eggs

Scotch eggs are a great portable picnic snack or party appetizer. They're tasty and easy to make, and you can easily customize them with your favorite sausage and herbs.

Ingredients

Makes 6 Scotch Eggs

• 6 eggs, for boiling
• 2 additional eggs, for coating
• 300g (⅔ lb) raw bratwurst or other sausage meat
• 300g (⅔ lb) pork mince or additional sausage meat
• 60g (½ cup) flour
• 120g (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil, enough to fill a pan 2.5 cm (1 inch) deep.

Herbs (select one or zero):

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

Steps

1. Make-a-Soft-Boiled-Egg. Bring a pan of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Lower in six eggs and cook for six minutes. Starting the eggs in hot water instead of a cold pan makes them much easier to peel.
   • Cooking this many eggs in one pan can throw off the timing. Cook them in two batches for more consistent results.
   • Use eggs from a trusted, high-quality source. Soft-boiling does not kill salmonella, so an egg from an infected source could cause serious illness in young or elderly people.
2. Chill the eggs. Drop the eggs in an ice bath or in a bowl of cold water in the fridge to stop them cooking. Chilled eggs are usually easier to peel.
3. Mix your meat and herbs. The easiest option is to buy 600g (about 1⅓ lb) of sausage meat and call it a day. This can be on the greasy side, though, so some chefs prefer a 50/50 mix of sausage meat and leaner pork mince. You can either piggyback off the flavors in an herb-heavy sausage, or choose a plain sausage and mix in your own herbs and spices. (See the ingredients list above for suggestions.)
   • You can use raw sausages instead — just cut the casings open and drop the meat into a bowl.
   • Sausage meat usually has enough salt and pepper, but you may want to add some if you used minced meat.
4. Peel-an-Egg. Tap all around the eggs with the back of a spoon, then peel off the shells.
5. Set up your assembly line. Arrange a line of ingredients on the counter, in separate bowls:
   • Soft-boiled eggs
   • Meat
   • 60g (½ cup) Flour
   • Two additional raw eggs, beaten until smooth
   • 120g (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
6. Wrap meat around your eggs. Divide your meat into six equal portions, and shape each one into a ball. Dip your egg into the flour to help the meat stick. Poke a hole into each ball with your thumb, insert an egg, and close the meat around it.
7. Bread the Scotch eggs. Use your line of ingredients to add a crispy outer layer to your eggs:
   • Roll the meat-wrapped egg in flour
   • Dip it in the beaten eggs
   • Roll in panko breadcrumbs
   • Dip in the beaten egg again
   • Roll in the breadcrumbs again
8. Fry in hot oil. This is easiest in a deep fryer, but you can fill a deep frying pan ⅓ to ½ full of vegetable oil instead. Heat the oil to 170ºC (340ºF), then cook the eggs about ten minutes. If using a pan, cook the eggs two or three a a time and rotate frequently so they turn crisp and golden on all sides. Transfer the eggs to a bowl lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.
   • If you don't have a cooking thermometer, drop a small piece of bread onto the oil to test the temperature. Your oil is the right temperature if the bread sizzles and browns, but does not burn.
   • The cooking time varies depending on the amount of sausage meat on each egg, and how evenly the egg is wrapped. If you're worried about cooking the pork all the way, move the cooked egg to a preheated 190ºC (375ºF) oven for a couple minutes.
9. Serve immediately or refrigerate. You can eat Scotch eggs hot, or refrigerate them for later. For food safety reasons, don't leave Scotch eggs out of the fridge for more than two hours (one hour in hot weather). If you bring the eggs to a picnic, store them in a cooler.

Tips

• Serve with any savory dipping sauce, or atop a Greek salad or Make a Caesar Salad.
• You can make a healthier baked version, but the eggs are more likely to fall apart. Try reducing the meat to 450g (1 lb) and cooking in a 200ºC (400ºF) oven for 25–30 minutes.

Warnings

• Do not use fresh breadcrumbs, which absorb too much grease. Dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes are necessary for a crisp texture.
• Fresh eggs are very difficult to peel. If you have your own chickens or buy from a local farm, use eggs at least a week old.

Things You'll Need

• One large bowl
• Three smaller bowls
• Frying pan
• Saucepan

Sources and Citations

See also

• Cool Down Your Drinks at a Picnic
• Choose What Type of Sandwiches to Make for a Picnic
• Halve an Egg
• Use Leftover Hard Boiled Eggs
• Hard Boil an Egg
• Fry an Egg
• Blow Out Eggs
• Poach an Egg
• Make a Fried Egg
• Make a Naked Egg

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