Now for something that is definitely not Australian. I’m a big fan of the scotch egg, a true British classic. A boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried – what’s not to love? The scotch egg was apparently invented at the London department store Fortnum & Mason in 1738, it has continued to be an extremely popular snack throughout Britain ever since.
I would recommend avoiding the pre packaged scotch eggs you can buy in the supermarkets, as the sausage meat is often bland and very fatty. Try instead a freshly made one from a good deli, pub or farmers market. Eat My Pies do a fantastic scotch egg which is available from there lovely stall on Whitecross street or Broadway Market in London. My favourite pub scotch egg has to be from The Bull and Last in Gospel Oak, which I would also recommend for dinner as all their food is delicious and it’s a great place to spend an evening.
You can of course make your own scotch eggs too. I thought it would be a finicky and arduous process, but I was wrong. There are a few stages and it takes a little time, but once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy and quite fun too. I used quails eggs so they’re bite sized and dainty.
Minature Scotch Eggs
- 12 qualis eggs
- 400g your favourite sausages (make sure they are good quality and have a high meat content)
- 100g plain flour
- 4 eggs beaten
- 100g panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 2 litres vegetable oil (for frying)
Start by boiling your eggs. It’s up to you whether you soft or hard boil them. I reckon a soft boiled egg is better if you plan to eat the scotch eggs warm and hard boiled are better for serving them cold. So, boil your eggs, 2 minutes for soft boiled and 4-5 minutes for hard boiled. Once boiled, submerge in a bowl of cold water while you get on with the other ingredients.
Remove the skins from the sausages and place all the meat in a large bowl. Add the paprika and mustard, season well and mix together. You can add pretty much any spices you want at this point, but if the sausages are good quality, you shouldn’t have to add much of anything.
Remove the eggs from the water. Peel them carefully so that they remain whole and place them in a bowl. Take 3 extra bowls, fill one with the flour, one with the eggs and one with the breadcrumbs. You can now set up a mini production line to make your mini scotch eggs.
Flatten about a tablespoon on sausage meat in the palm of your hand, then gently and carefully, wrap it round one of your boiled quails eggs. Mould it round the egg to make a perfect little ball. Next coat the sausage covered egg in the flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process with all the eggs and then place them in the fridge for about at least hour to firm up.
When you are ready to cook the scotch eggs, heat up the 2 litres of oil in a large pan or wok. You can test the temperature of the oil by dropping a cube of bread into it. If it sizzles and turns brown in about a minute, you’re ready to go. Fry the eggs in batches of no more than 4, drain on some kitchen towel and eat them warm or cold.
