One of our favourite “snacks” is Scotch Egg. Easy to prepare at home and they taste so much better. Plus by you choosing what sausage meat to use, you have complete control. Believe me, once you start making your own you won’t go back to buying those ready-made ones from supermarkets.
Delicious hot, warm or cold, they can be eaten as a snack or part of a meal with salad or chips, and are perfect picnic food.
The recipe is adaptable to any size egg and the ingredients are simple to remember. Always use good quality sausages, ones you enjoy eating and that you know will taste good. Cheap sausages can be greasy, unexciting and often not pleasant to taste. Nor do you have to use plain pork either. I often used Cumberland sausages or pork and leek, pork with caramalised onion, even venison sausages for a change. The choice is endless so be adverturous. Vegetarian sausage also works well.
Ingredients for Each Scotch Egg
1 shelled boiled egg, cold (soft to medium boiled, whatever your preference).
2 sausages from pack of your favourite (skins removed) per egg. I use large hens eggs but for smaller eggs 1 sausage per egg should be adequate.
Breadcrumbs: fresh breadcrumbs, panko or packet crumbs.
Plus oil (or lard) for frying OR baked in the oven for a healthier version but this does make for a harder, drier crust.
Method
Remove skins from the sausages and using a sheet of clingfilm work the two sausages together by folding the clingfilm over the meat and working with hands to combine into one piece and then flatten out.
Place boiled egg onto sausage meat.
Gather clingfilm together and work the sausage meat gently around the egg to seal and form a ball, rolling it around the counter to shape.
Remove the clingfilm and gently coat the ball in breadcrumbs.
(It should not be necessary to use egg and flour at this stage as one normally would for coating as the meat should be sticky enough for the crumbs to adhere but this may be necessary if using vegetarian sausage.)
Fry gently in hot oil/lard for approx 5 mins, turning the ball to cook evenly on all sides until golden. Remember the egg is already cooked so its only the meat that needs cooking.
Do not have the oil too hot else the crumbs will burn before the meat is cooked. If cooking in the oven, set temp to around 170 deg Fan or equivalent for about 15 minutes.
Remove from oil, and drain on kitchen paper.
Kit's Kitchen 