Replicating the Perfect Scotch Egg

Ditch the deep fat fryer. Baked scotch eggs your arteries will thank you for.

Before I begin, let me be clear: this is NOT an attempt to decipher the origin of the Scotch Egg.

To separate the bread crumb of truth from the porky pies is an excruciating exploit that has seen many a singed eyebrow, too many a split yolk and a surplus of soggy bottoms.

The (London) Quest for the Perfect Scotch Egg’ saw me with a mission: to seek the revered, expose the not-so legitimately famed, and discover dark horses along the way.

Even the greats had their downfalls. Mr Betjeman’s succulent and sizeable pork casing nestled a not-so perfect egg. Pig & Butcher with their make-a-mess-and-lick-me-up yolk, proved a tad TOO runny, forming more of an affair with the plate than its porky protector.

When one desires the best of both worlds (or in this case, the finest of the quest’s scotch eggs), then one must take matters into one’s own hands.

Replicating the Perfect… Scotch Egg saw me controversially opt for baking rather than deep-fat frying. Yet this proved a welcome deviation; the meat retained its succulence, the breadcrumbs crisped to a delightful golden crunch, and the yolk remained pliable, though admittedly slightly overdone.

A decision not made by my arteries, but one they will thank me for, nonetheless. Now how’s that for a bonus point?

Rendition 1 - 'Plain & Proper' English Traditional

No Chorizo, Cumberland or Lincolnshire… this is about good ol’ plain & proper pork, reliant solely on the quality of the meat and skill of the butcher. The imperfections have nowhere to hide; therefore, better make sure there’s not a flaw in sight. The sausage to my egg was just scrumptious; juicy, chunky, and exquisite. If you like your egg to make more of a mess, boiling a minute less should do the trick.

🥚 Makes 2 large Scotch Eggs

4 plain & proper pork butcher’s sausages
2 medium eggs
Breadcrumbs or stuffing mix
Flour (for dusting)
(one extra egg for dipping your pork into)

1. Preheat your oven to 180’C (fan).

2. Put 2 eggs (with shells on) into boiling water for 6 mins (or 5 for slightly runny).

3. Once boiled, place in a bowl of icy water, and put in the fridge.

4. In the meantime, de-condom your sausage into a bowl.

5. Give the meat a good squelching.

6. Take your eggs out of the fridge, and de-shell.

7. Pour flour, breadcrumbs, and a (beaten) raw egg onto 3 separate plates.

8. Take a large sheet of cling film, lay flat out, and in the centre, place half of your squelched sausage.

9. Fold one side of your cling film on top and flatten, working your hand to the sausage as you would a rolling pin to the dough.

10. Repeat with the other half.

11. Dip your egg first into flour, then place in the centre of your sausage.

12. Encase your egg and roll into a perfect ball.

13. Plunge your nearly-there scotch egg into the beaten egg.

14. Clothe it with the breadcrumbs.

15. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes (turning halfway through).

16. Knife poised and ready to pounce… cut in.

Rendition 2 - The 'Salsiccia & Finocchio' Italian Twist

The only sausage that can get one up on the ‘plain & proper’ is the Italian salsiccia. It is not just the interlacing of fennel and black pepper, but the texture also that makes it so very different. Forget soft and smooth; this is coarse, compact, and weighty. It certainly didn’t envelope my egg as easily as my butcher’s plain & proper, but it was a divine departure from the norm, nonetheless.

1. Other than the sausage and breadcrumb variation, I followed the method and madness of the 'Plain & Proper' English Traditional.