Scotch Eggs, Take 1

Wanting to make a special treat for our wonderful friends, The Neighbours, I wracked my brains for a week. They are both really good cooks so I can't easily wow them but I recalled that the topic of scotch eggs had come up more than once over the holidays. They both have fond memories of his mother's scotch eggs so there is a sentimental attachment, making them the perfect dish to bid goodbye to one year and usher in the new.


For this first trip down the old scotch egg highway, I didn't want to mess around with the classic recipe too much since I knew that this was a very nostalgic thing for my friends but you know that there will be Korean Scotch Eggs, Mexican Scotch Eggs and more coming down the pipe.

Scotch Eggs

Makes 6 eggs

7 large eggs
2 large, fresh sausages
2 scallions, minced
about 1 tbls grainy mustard
fresh pepper
about 1/3 cup of flour
spash of milk
about 2/3 cup panko

Put 6 eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Let them boil for about 4 minutes, remove from the pot and drop in an ice water bath to cool them off immediately. This will result in an egg that has a very creamy interior. If you want them runnier, cook them for 3 minutes and if you want them firmer, cook them for 5.

Meanwhile, slice open the raw sausages and put them meat in a bowl. Add the scallions, mustard and grind some fresh pepper (it doesn't need salt since the sausage meat is salty) and mix it thoroughly. Divide the meat mixture into 6 meatballs and set aside.

Get three shallow bowls and fill one with the flour, one with the panko and the third with the last raw egg and beat it with a splash of milk.

Peel the cooled, hard boiled eggs.
Roll each egg in the flour.
take one of the meatballs and flatten it out into a large circle in the palm of your hand.
Place an egg in the middle of the meat and then close the meat over the egg, patting it and closing it over the egg.
Roll the meat covered egg in the flour, coat it in the egg and then roll it in the panko and set aside.
Repeat with all the eggs.

Preheat the oven to 400F

Heat oil in a pan until it reaches about 170C or til a chunk of bread browns in a minute. Fry the eggs for about 4 minutes, turning often. How many you do at once depends on how big your pan is, just don't overcrowd.

Put the finished scotch eggs onto a rack set on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 5 minutes.
Take them out and serve right away but they are just as tasty at room temperature. Keep in mind that if you let them cool to room temp before eating them, the yolk will firm up a bit and won't be quite as creamy.