When the summer hits, we think about picnics and trips to the beach. While I may not be able to indulge in such outings very often anymore due to the Meniere’s Disease, I decided to have a go at making my own Scotch Eggs for when the occasion does arise!
It’s a bonus to living where we do that the sea is so close to us – we can see it, albeit at a distance, from our kitchen window! Like a lot of people, I have a deep love for the sea and water in general – it’s so beautiful and yet capable of being so powerfully destructive, and therefore seems to command respect and almost worship. I’m convinced that I have an internal gauge which slowly drops down throughout the winter when it’s too cold to go to the seaside and needs replenishing during the summer. A vitamin “sea” gauge maybe…?
Scotch eggs are a snack favourite of mine but it seems the older I get the more tasteless, disappointing and expensive the shop—bought versions get. This, plus all the different financial constraints that are squeezing all of our purse strings tighter at the moment seemed another good reason to get experimenting ASAP.
It’s taken a while, a couple of mistakes and, to quote Mr. Spock, quite a few “colourful metaphors” to get this recipe right but I am over the moon with how good they are. They have so much flavour and are quite a bit cheaper to make yourself than to buying ready-made!
I won’t lie to you – they are not the easiest things in the world to make. Many of the “colourful metaphors” used came during the part of the process that has you wrapping the eggs up in sausage-meat (grrrrr!). It’s not impossible, just fairly frustrating for the first couple and then it does get easier. By the time you’ve done a few you’ll be a pro, trust me and it’s well worth the effort.
Serving suggestions? A cool box stuffed with picnic goodies like my Mediterranean vegetable crustless quiche, a sunny day and a beach – job done! Enjoy DDx.
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Home-made Scotch Eggs
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
So much better than shop-bought! Boiled eggs encased in herby sausage meat and golden breadcrumbs!
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 6 plain sausages
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 125 g plain flour mixed with salt and pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 130 g breadcrumbs – you can use shop bought or fresh breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- Sunflower or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Put the 4 eggs in a pan of lightly salted cold water. Put the pan over a high heat and bring up to the boil. Boil for around 8-9 minutes.
- Remove the egg pan from the heat and run cold water on the eggs.
- Slit the skins of the sausages and squeeze the meat out into a mixing bowl.
- Add the thyme, parsley and some salt and black pepper to season.
- Divide the sausage meat mixture into four and press out into circles big enough to wrap an egg up in. Lay out on a board or plate.
- Peel the cooled eggs.
- Place the seasoned flour onto a plate and the breadcrumbs on another plate. Put the remaining uncooked egg in a bowl and beat lightly.
- Put each egg on a circle of sausage mix and wrap it up. Roll the balls around until smooth and the egg is completely sealed in.
- Dip each egg first in seasoned flour, then in the beaten egg, coating it and then roll it around in the breadcrumbs until coated.
- Heat the oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan, until hot – you can drop a breadcrumb into it to check and you should see it sizzle and turn brown.
- Carefully put each scotch egg into the hot oil and deep fry it for around 8-10 minutes, until golden and crisp and the sausage meat is completely cooked.
- Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen roll. Leave to cool and drain.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
