Scotch Eggs

Scotch eggs hold a special place in my mind. It’s a special treat often only served at certain gastropubs: boiled eggs wrapped in sausage, breaded, and fried. It is so wonderfully delicious, especially after a few pints. 

While some bars will charge high prices for these appetizers, they are actually not hard to make at home and don’t require a lot of ingredients. Read on to learn how to make Scotch eggs in your own kitchen! 

A Little (Unknown) History of Scotch Eggs

According to Britannica, Scotch eggs have a contentious history, but one thing is certain: They are definitely not from Scotland. One story says that they were created for wealthy travelers at a London department store. Another theory is that it’s a spin-off of a North Indian dish of minced meat and eggs served in curry. In any event, the dish has been around for a long time and it’s delicious.

Tips for Each Step

Boil the eggs: The first task is to hard boil the eggs. While some soft boil the egg, it’s a bit trickier to wrap the sausage around it because it’s so soft and unstable. I prefer and recommend using a hard-boiled egg for the first few times. Then, you can absolutely change it up to soft-boiled eggs.

Wrap the eggs with sausage: Be sure the hard-boiled eggs are cooled and peeled. For the sausage, I keep it simple with a breakfast sausage, dried thyme, and a little Worcestershire sauce. A tiny amount of cornstarch helps the sausage bind. Before wrapping the eggs with sausage, the eggs should be very dry so the sausage sticks to them. Use a paper towel to pat them dry.

Bread the eggs: Let the sausage-wrapped eggs chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will firm up the sausage and make it easier to work with. After you dredge the eggs in the flour, be sure to tap off extra flour. You just need a very light coating of flour for to give he whisked eggs something to stick to. 

Fry the Scotch eggs: Fry them in batches in a pot of oil heated to 350°F for 8 minutes. Be very careful when adding the eggs to the oil. They are heavy and will splash oil if you drop them in. I like to use a slotted spoon to help lower them one by one. Don’t crowd your frying pot. Fry in batches of 2 to 3 eggs so the oil stays hot. This is a handy tool to help keep an eye on the temperature.

Dips Galore

Scotch eggs can be served with a variety of dipping sauces. I’ve seen them served with any kind of mustard, ranch, blue cheese dressing, or just plain ketchup. Personally, I like honey mustard dipping sauce, so I included a recipe for one below.

Swap the Sausage or Breading

• You could use any kind of sausage, like breakfast, regular Italian, or spicy Italian. If using ground pork, make sure to season it with some spices, salt, and black pepper. Prepared sausages are seasoned enough so no additional seasoning is needed.
  
• Panko breadcrumbs instead of standard breadcrumbs would create an extra crunchy crust. 

Ways to Plan Ahead

You can plan 2 to 5 days ahead and here is how:

• Boil the eggs: The unpeeled boiled eggs can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. If peeled, use them within 2 days.
• Wrap the eggs with sausage: Eggs wrapped in sausage, before breading them, can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. You'll have to wrap each tightly with plastic wrap so that the sausage doesn't oxidize.
• Don't bread until ready to fry: I would not recommend breading the eggs ahead of time.

Snacks to go with That Pint

• Buffalo Wings
• Blistered Shishito Peppers
• BBQ Bacon Jalapeño Poppers
• Bourbon Maple Glazed Chicken Wings
• The Ultimate Quesadilla