Scotch Eggs

The idea behind Scotch eggs makes me insane. Apparently it's the ultimate Scottish pub food. Daggone. It should be. Hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage, breaded and deep fried. An Evil Culinary Genius came up with that.

Since I live in East Tennessee, and this area was settled by a bunch of Scots-Irish - no wonder we share the tendency to drop any dang thing we come across into a deep fryer. Preferably with pig involved.

I screwed up about forty nine thousand of these before I got the 'tricks' down. Once I figured those out - it's easy as all get out. But you do have to follow some rules. What you end up with is amazing - crunchy/crisp on the outside, and inside is a creamy, buttery tasting egg with a perfect yolk. Wow. Granted - you won't eat these every day. Think of them as the ultimate food for the big game - so maybe once a year. But you WILL look forward to that day ---

I'm leaving the directions 'loose'. This is more a technique than a recipe. That way you make 2 - or 2000.

             

Soft boiled eggs - I found a 4 minute egg to be perfect for the finished product

Loose sausage - I got mine from our local butcher 

panko bread crumbs

oil for frying - deep enough to cover egg completely

Preheat oil to 350F.

For each egg - soft boil an egg. Bring water to a hard simmer, submerge a room temperature egg for exactly four minutes, then pull it and let it cool back to room temperature. Carefully peel egg - it will be soft and squishy because the yolk is not set. This is a good thing, although you'll have to be delicate. If I can you can - I'm the biggest klutz on earth and I did it. Just think about handling something exquisitely fragile.

Starting with about 1/4 cup or so of sausage, form the thinnest layer possible, packing it tightly around the egg. I said tightly, but remember the yolk is not set - so it is easy to 'pop' the egg at this point. Maybe firmly is a better word - delicate yet firm. Like handling a kid. 

Cover the egg completely with the sausage, working carefully. Once no egg white is visible, roll egg in panko, patting the panko into the sausage. 

Drop panko covered egg into hot oil. I literally timed 8-9 to get mine just right. I gave each thinly covered-breaded egg exactly five minutes. This allowed the panko to develop the loveliest crust, while cooking the sausage through perfectly, yet not messing up the beautifully soft yolk in the center. If you need to,  if your eggs just aren't cooking correctly - preheat your oven to 350F, and pop your fried eggs into the hot oven - straight from the fryer - for about ten minutes to finish. Or if you're obsessed like I am, tinker with your time until the egg comes out perfectly crispy outside, with the sausage done completely and the egg still lovely, buttery and the yolk soft.

Frankly - my picture isn't enough. This is the epitome of dishes that define my food philosophy. I'd rather have one every six months to a year and have it perfect, than have one every day and have it mediocre.