The rustic pub scotch egg, when made using Cumberland sausage infused with black pudding, has a few of the ingredients for a traditional English breakfast.

After the last article, I was challenged by a Facebook correspondent to see if I could work bacon into the recipe … after all, everything is better with bacon. Well why stop there? Let’s throw some mushroom in for good measure. And thus it was born.

I present to you the hand-held meal that is the English Breakfast Scotch Egg.Continue reading“English Breakfast Scotch Eggs”→

Equipment

There are several deep fat fryers available, I use the Andrew James one to make scotch eggs (and triple cooked duck fat chips). It is just the right capacity to make two scotch eggs at a time.

Ingredients

• 450g Cumberland sausage meat, preferably with black pudding
• 100g panko breadcrumbs
• 6 large eggs
• Plain flour
• Sunflower or vegetable oil
• 6 rashers back bacon
• 60g mushrooms

Method

There are some hints, tips and pictures to accompany this method below.

Preparation

1. Trim fat from the bacon. Cut the bacon and mushrooms into small pieces. Pan fry for 2 minutes and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Add four eggs into a saucepan of lukewarm water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 4 minutes.
3. Whisk the remaining two eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside.
4. Add plain flour to a second shallow bowl, and panko breadcrumbs to a third.
5. Start to heat up the oil for frying. The oil needs to be at 190°C to cook the eggs.
6. After the eggs have simmered, drain the water out of the saucepan and replace with cold tap water, throwing in a few icecubes. Leave the eggs to cool for 7 minutes.
7. Flatten approximately 110g of sausage meat in clingfilm. Sprinkle over some bacon and mushroom pieces. Repeat for each egg being made. See hints, tips and pictures.

Cooking

1. Taking great care, peel the shell from one of the cooled eggs. Roll the egg in flour.
2. Encase the floured egg in a meat wrapper and seal it. See hints, tips and pictures.
3. Roll the wrapped egg in flour, then whisked egg, then breadcrumbs, then whisked egg, then breadcrumbs. Gives the egg a double crunch layer.
4. Repeat the above steps for the remaining eggs.
5. Taking great care, add the eggs into the deep-fat fryer or large pan of oil.
6. Fry the eggs for 8-9 minutes until the outsides are golden brown. Jiggle the basket in the fryer around to move the eggs and ensure that they are cooked all over.
7. Remove using a slotted spoon, and dry on some kitchen towel.
8. Slice the eggs in half swiftly and separate them yolk side up. If they are not completely cooked (meat slightly pink, egg white runny), warm under a grill for 1-2 minutes to finish.

 

Hints, Tips and Pictures

To wrap the egg, place a square of clingfilm on a surface and put 100g of sausage meat on it. Place another square piece of clingfilm on top of the sausage meat. Put pressure onto the top clingfilm with your hand to flatten the meat. It should be 3-4mm thick so that it can encase an egg evenly all around.

 

 

 

 

Then take one of the flattened pieces of sausage meat. Remove the top layer of cling film and sprinkle some bacon and mushroom pieces onto the sausage meat. Using the removed piece of cling film, gently press down on the pieces so they stick to the meat.

Take the sausage meat in your hand, clingfilm side down. Place a peeled egg in the middle and gently close your hand, sealing the egg in the meat wrapper by pinching the top. Remove the bottom piece of clingfilm whilst you are doing this (see pictures above).