Six eggs, 500g of sausage meat and a double coat of breadcrumbs make these Hairy Bikers scotch eggs, seasoned with sage, thyme and cayenne. And Mums Know Best turns that into 6 at roughly 520 calories each, in about 45 minutes from pan to picnic.
“Good old-fashioned Scotch eggs are perfect for a coach trip or a picnic”, the headnote says, and old-fashioned is the point. Because there is no pickled egg and no crisps in the crumb, just herbed meat and a second coat of crumbs for a thicker shell.
The eggs go into cold water, come to the boil and get exactly five minutes, no more. Because they cook again inside the sausage meat, which is why five minutes gives the “slightly runny middle” the book promises.
Hairy Bikers Scotch Eggs Recipe
Description
Eggs are boiled from cold for five minutes and peeled, while sausage meat is mixed with thyme, sage, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Then each egg is wrapped in a thin patty, rolled in flour, dipped in egg and crumbs, and crumbed a second time. And they are deep fried at 170C until golden, then drained and left to cool.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Boil the eggs: put 6 eggs into a pan of cold water, bring it to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Then cool them under cold water and peel them carefully.
- Season the meat: mix 500g sausage meat with ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried sage, ½ tsp black pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Then divide it into 6 equal portions.
- Wrap the eggs: flatten each portion into a thin patty and wrap it round an egg. Then smooth the coating with your hands so it is even all over, with no thin spots.
- Set up the coating: put 2 beaten eggs, 4 tbsp plain flour and 125g fresh white breadcrumbs into three separate bowls. Then line them up in that order, flour first.
- First coat: roll each scotch egg in flour, dip it in the beaten egg and roll it in breadcrumbs. Then set it on a plate while you do the rest.
- Second coat: dip each one in the beaten egg again and roll it in more breadcrumbs. Then press the crumbs on gently, because this second layer is what gives the crunchy shell.
- Fry: heat vegetable oil in a large deep pan to about 170C on a thermometer. Then lower them in a few at a time and fry for 4 to 5 minutes until golden, turning so they colour evenly.
- Drain and cool: lift them out onto kitchen paper and leave them to cool. Then cut one open to check the meat is cooked through before you serve the rest.
FAQs
How do I make the black pudding scotch eggs?
Swap half the meat, and change nothing else, since the book prints it on the same line. Because 250g of sausage meat and 250g of black pudding replace the 500g, with the same herbs, double crumb and 170C. And smoked haddock is the other idea the headnote floats, though it gives no fish recipe, so I cannot either.
Is this the Manchester scotch egg from their website?
No, that one is a different recipe from Chicken and Egg, and it starts with a pickled egg. Because the recipe “began in the pub”, they write, where drinkers mash a pickled egg into cheese and onion crisps. So crushed crisps go into the panko, while the original Manchester egg is Robert Owen Brown’s, seasoned with smoked paprika.
And the pickled egg is the recipe before it in the book, which has its own page here as their pickled eggs.
What’s the secret to a perfect scotch egg?
An even patty, which is why the book has you flatten each portion thin before wrapping. Because a thick side stays raw while a thin side burns, and wet hands, their tip from the pickled version, stop the meat sticking. And the same sausage meat rolled in puff pastry becomes their sausage rolls, so a pack of good bangers covers both.
But the double crumb is a scotch egg thing, because their fish fingers in Mums Still Know Best take a single coat and crisp up.
What are some common scotch egg mistakes?
Pulling them out too early is the one I worry about, since the book gives four to five minutes at 170C. But their pickled version fries for six minutes at 160C and their website says eight to ten, so cut one open and check the meat. And their fried chicken follows the same rule, because oil that drops below 160C gives a greasy crust instead of a crisp one.
What is a nargis kebab, and what do scotch eggs go with?
A nargis kebab is “an Indian version of Scotch eggs”, and it sits right after them in Mums Know Best. Because a boiled egg is wrapped in spiced minced lamb and rolled in sesame seeds, which puts it beside their samosas on a picnic. And the plain ones want mustard and cornichons, while their scotch egg pie in Perfect Pies is the same idea under shortcrust.
And their devilled eggs are the other egg for the same picnic, with paprika or curry powder through the yolks.
