Eggs over easy

​By Jan Cheshire

THIS time of the year is great for picnics.  These eggs make an excellent contribution to any picnic and will be very popular.  I hadn’t made them for ages, but they are really quite simple.  I baked mine as I do not have a deep fryer these days.  They turned out to be very good indeed.  You can make these the day before and refrigerate them.

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OVEN-BAKED SCOTCH EGGS
Ingredients
7 large eggs (preferably free-range)
75 grams (3/4 cup) of plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 grams (1 cup) of dried breadcrumbs
450 grams of good quality sausages. (I used pork sausages)
1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh thyme & parsley (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Place 6 of the eggs in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce it to a simmer and cook the eggs for 8 minutes.
3. Run the eggs under cold water from the tap, peel and set aside.
4. (You can boil the eggs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge, unpeeled.)
5. Put the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and season.
6. Break the remaining egg into a second bowl and beat lightly.
7. Place the breadcrumbs in a third bowl or plate.
8. Squeeze the sausage meat out of their casings into a bowl. Add the fresh thyme and parsley, if using, and mix them through the sausage with a fork, stirring well until they’re mixed.
9. Scoop out a large ball of sausage meat and flatten it into an oval shape in your hand. (The sausage mixture will probably be quite wet and sticky to work with so flour your hands first. Wrap the sausage meat around the egg, pinching it together at the seam, then smoothing the meat around the eggs, making sure there are no gaps where the egg is peeking through. Dredge the sausage-covered egg in the flour, tapping off any excess.
10. Dip each one in the beaten egg, making sure it all gets coated, then roll in the breadcrumbs, making sure it’s fully covered. Place the finished egg on the lined baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining eggs.
11. Place the eggs in the oven and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are crispy and the sausage is cooked through. Scotch eggs can be eaten warm, cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy!