Scotch Eggs

Ingredients

• 5 egg
• 400 g sausage, casings removed
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 50 g wheat flour
• 120 g breadcrumbs
• 1 l vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method

1. 1.

   Soft-boil and peel the eggs — Lower 4 of the eggs into a pan of boiling water and cook for exactly 6 minutes, then move them straight into a bowl of iced water and leave until stone cold. Peel them under a trickle of water — the shells cling to soft eggs, so take your time.

2. 2.

   Season the sausage meat — Work the sausage meat in a bowl with the thyme, parsley, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper until it is evenly seasoned and starts to feel tacky. Divide into four and flatten each portion on a square of cling film into a disc about 12 cm across.

3. 3.

   Wrap each egg in meat — Roll each peeled egg in a little of the flour so the meat grips it, sit it in the middle of a disc and use the cling film to draw the meat up and around. Seal the join with wet fingers, making sure there are no gaps or trapped air pockets.

4. 4.

   Double-crumb and chill — Beat the remaining egg in a shallow bowl. Roll each ball first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, and repeat the egg and crumb once more for a coating that will not split in the oil. Chill for 20 minutes to firm up.

5. 5.

   Fry until deep golden — Heat the oil to 170°C in a deep pan filled no more than a third of the way up. Fry two eggs at a time for 6-7 minutes, turning them so they colour evenly, until the crumb is deep golden and the sausage is cooked through.

6. 6.

   Rest before halving — Drain on kitchen paper and rest for 5 minutes before cutting — the yolk sets a little further off the heat. Halve them lengthways and eat warm, or cool completely and pack them for a picnic.