Proper Scotch eggs

Name: Proper Scotch eggs
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 10 large free-range eggs; 8 higher-welfare sausages; ½ a bunch of fresh chives; ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 whole nutmeg for grating; 1 tablespoon English mustard; plain flour for dusting; 150 g fresh white breadcrumbs; 2 litres vegetable oil

Serve with lovely Scottish cheese & pickle

Dairy-freedf

“I like my Scotch eggs a little runny in the middle, but if you prefer a hard-boiled centre, leave the eggs in to boil for an extra couple of minutes at the start. These are the ultimate picnic snack. ”

Serves 8

Cooks In40 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Eggs, Picnic, Wimbledon, Dairy-free

Nutrition per serving

Calories

613

31%
Fat

47g

67%
Saturates

11.4g

57%
Protein

28.6g

57%
Carbs

20.7g

8%
Sugars

1.2g

1%
Salt

2.6g

43%
Fibre

1.3g

-

Of an adult's reference intake

Tap For Method

Ingredients

10 large free-range eggs
8 higher-welfare sausages
½ a bunch of fresh chives
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 whole nutmeg , for grating
1 tablespoon English mustard
plain flour , for dusting
150 g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 litres vegetable oil

Tap For Method

Tap For Ingredients

Method

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.

Tips

It’s not always easy to tell if an egg is past its best. A quick way to test an egg’s freshness is to place it in a glass of cold water: if it sinks, it’s fresh; if it rises, it’s stale. And, the flatter the egg lies on the bottom of the glass, the fresher it is. Genius!