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Scotch Egg

Ready in 30 mins

Recipe by Graham 

The Scotch Egg is a great cold addition to a buffet, with a salad, in a picnic, as a snack or hot with French Fries. There are not too many people who know how to make their own, so it's an unusual idea for creating something out of the ordinary.

Preparation Time

20 Minutes

Cooking Time

10 Minutes

Ingredients for Scotch Egg

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To make 4 Scotch Eggs:

1 lb sausage meat (pork mince)
5 medium-sized eggs
1 tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour)
4 slices soft white bread
  salt and pepper
  oil for deep frying

How to Cook Scotch Egg

  1. Hard boil four of the five eggs. Cool under cold water and remove the shells. Divide the sausage meat in to four equal portions then on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a circle about 5" (12.5cm) in diameter. Season the flour with salt and freshly-ground pepper and coat each of the hard-boiled eggs in it. Place an egg into the centre of each circle of sausage meat and mould the meat evenly around the egg, making sure it fits closely and completely.
  2. Beat the fifth egg and use it to seal the joins in the sausage meat, pinching the edges well together. Mould each Scotch Egg into a good shape and brush them all over with the beaten egg. Cut the crusts off the bread and crumble the remaining white bread between your fingers to make small breadcrumbs (if you have a food processor, you can use the chopper attachment for this). Toss the Scotch Eggs into the breadcrumbs to coat them evenly and completely. Press the breadcrumbs in firmly.
  3. Since the sausage meat is raw, it's important that you don't try to hurry the frying, so fry the eggs over a medium heat in the deep fat until golden brown, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on soft, absorbent kitchen paper. When cool, cut in half lengthways and serve.
  4. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can cook Scotch Eggs in a frying pan with 1" (2.5cm) of oil but you must keep turning them frequently to ensure it is cooked and browned on all sides.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If, while rolling out your sausage meat, you find it sticking to the rolling pin, lightly dust the surface of the meat and the rolling pin with a little flour.

If making your own breadcrumbs is an issue, you can use ready-made bread crumbs from a packet. The result is not quite as "rustic" but only you will know the difference!