Scotch Egg

A couple of weekends ago, I met up with a friend for brunch. We got together way downtown to walk around and chat and then we went to The Dead Rabbit in Fidi and enjoyed really good food. I had the scotch egg, which was sublime. Scotch eggs are the perfect breakfast/brunch food. I mean, it's an egg encased in sausage; need I say more? Whenever I eat awesome dishes, I'm compelled to try and recreate them at home. So, I whipped up my own version.

It's not fun to share a recipe unless there's some kind of a twist to it, right? Well, there's no huge, innovative twist here but I made my own sausage mix. If you want to play with the seasonings on your own, then feel free. I went for a spicy, slightly smoky mix of seasonings. I basically grabbed every container out of the spice drawer that caught my eye and the results were so good.

Ingredients [yields 4 scotch eggs]:
4 + 1 eggs
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 lb. ground pork
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground mustard
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated)
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ cup flour
½ cup breadcrumbs
oil for frying
+ mustard
+ cornichons

Start by boiling the eggs. I read an article that said that adding baking soda to the pot will help the shells peel off much more easily. So, add 4 eggs and the baking soda to a pot. Top off with water, slap on the lid, and then pop onto the hob over medium high heat.

Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and then leave the eggs to cook for a few more minutes. Set the timer for 2 minutes for a runny yolk, 4 minutes for a soft set yolk, and 8 minutes for a completely hard boiled egg. I like a 4 minute egg.

Once the timer dings, run the eggs under cold water and crack the shells. Then, let them soak for a few minutes. This will allow the water to get in between the shell and the egg; it's just another step that will make it a bit easier to peel. Then, get to peeling! Seriously, the baking soda trick really works.

Set the eggs aside and get started on the sausage. To the ground pork, add in all of the spices listed above (or whatever you like). Gently mix together until combined.

In addition to the sausage and boiled eggs, you'll also need flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.

To assemble the scotch egg, grab a quarter of the sausage mixture and wrap it around the egg. The easiest way is to flatten it out in your hand, place on an egg, and then mold the sausage around the whole thing until you end up with massive things that look like dino eggs.

To prevent the eggs from falling apart, chill them for about 20 minutes.

Then, set up a breading station.

Dredge the sausage-covered egg in flour, dip in egg, and then coat in the breadcrumbs. Yes, you're dipping an egg into egg; it's totally like inception, except with eggs instead of dreams.

Heat a pan of oil to 350F and then fry the scotch eggs for 4 to 6 minutes or until they're golden brown.

Drain the eggs on a paper towel to wick off the excess oil.

Serve the scotch egg with a little mustard and some cornichons. The acidity of the pickles is a great and bright accompaniment to the deep-fried scotch egg. The breading is crisp, the sausage is salty and spicy, the egg is tender with a perfectly soft yolk, and it's gorgeous.

Seriously, this is so good, especially considering that it's not that difficult to make. And, you could totally assemble the eggs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge and then fry them up when you're ready to serve a kickass brunch to your impressed guests.

Here's the recipe page: