Ingredients
- 6 soft-boiled eggs (6 minutes from fridge into the steamer and out)
- 1 lb. ground sausage (I use sweet Italian links with the skins removed)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (I think Panko are THE BEST)
- 1-3 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 Tsp. salt
- 1 Tsp. pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup flour
- Oil for frying
Directions
- Heat the frying oil to a temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Steam the soft-boiled eggs for 6 minutes then put immediately into an ice water bath for 5 minutes to cool.
- Mix the salt, pepper, and 1 to 2 Tbsp Old Bay with the breadcrumbs.
- Mix 1 to 2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning with flour. Roll the eggs in the flour.
- Take a small handful of the sausage, place it between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and roll out to 1/8 inch or so.
- Wrap the sausage around the soft boiled egg and close it up nice.
- Cover the sausage-wrapped eggs with flour then into the beaten eggs and then roll in the breadcrumbs.
- Fry in the hot oil for 6-10 minutes depending on the size of the egg and thickness of the sausage coating. Be careful not to burn, but you want to make sure the sausage gets cooked through and that the heat is enough to reach the core of the egg.
- Serve with a dip made form 1/2 Dijon mustard mixed with 1/2 mayonnaise and sprinkled with a bit of old bay or cayenne.
Notes
Even though this is not a Scottish dish, I put it here because a lot of people believe it is. Read on…
A Scotch egg consists of a cold, hard-boiled egg removed from its shell, wrapped in a sausage meat mixture, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. The dish was invented by the London food shop Fortnum & Mason, in 1738. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a Scottish dish. Scotch eggs are commonly eaten cold, typically with salad and pickles. Scotch eggs were traditionally a picnic food, designed to be eaten fresh. However, in the UK at least, they have acquired an unfashionable, downmarket reputation due to the preponderance of pre-packed, plastic-wrapped Scotch eggs sold at convenience stores and service stations. These are generally made with very cheap meat.
In the United States, many so-called “English-style” pubs and eateries serve fresh-made scotch eggs. These are usually served hot, with dipping sauces such as ranch dressing or hot mustard sauce. Miniature versions of scotch eggs are also widely available in British supermarkets and are sold under the name ‘savoury egg bites’, ‘picnic eggs’, or similar. These contain a chopped, rather than whole, egg filling, sometimes combined with mayonnaise. In West Africa, some fast-food restaurants offer scotch eggs alongside their other menu items. In Nigeria, Tantalizers and Mr. Biggs both prominently feature scotch eggs (both also highly recommended).
The first time I ever tried a Scottish egg was at a Renaissance festival in Los Angeles, CA in the mountains where the TV show MASH was filmed. I asked the guy what it was and he replied, “A hard-boiled egg, wrapped in a cocoon of sausage, rolled in breadcrumbs, then deep-fried.” Oh my God, these are delicious!!!
Even though these are terrific deep fried, I sometimes bake them (see note at the bottom of the recipe). Also, I sometimes like to make these with either silky (small eggs from a silky chicken) or quail eggs. When made with the smaller eggs, they are nearly “bite-size”
Note: As an alternative you can bake them in the oven at 375 F. for about 20 minutes or until the sausage covering is firm when picked at with a knife or fork. I usually stick them on a wire rack with a pan underneath so that they don’t sit and cook in any grease that renders out of the sausage… But my favorite way to cook these is definately deep fried! :-)
Source: Swanfarms.com