Scotch Eggs

Pub Week, Day 3! I've been a fan of scotch eggs for a long time, but I had never made them before. I first ate them at the Minnesota Scottish Fair, state fair style - on a stick. As luck would have it, my wonderful girlfriend gave me an electric deep fryer, so today was a perfect opportunity. As it turns out, scotch eggs are actually pretty easy to make, with very common ingredients. This recipe makes two scotch eggs.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs (2 for boiling, 1 for egg wash)
• 1 link raw pork sausage, or equivalent bulk sausage
• Flour
• Bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Start by hard boiling the eggs. Fill a pot with cold water, submerge eggs, and bring to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and set aside to cool. This can be done well in advance.

A note on sausage: I always buy link sausage, for two reasons. First, as a person living alone, it is very easy to freeze the individual links for later. Second, you can always de-case the links. I used Italian sausage here, but use whatever kind you have.

If using links, de-case the sausage. Conveniently, a regular sized link will be perfect for two scotch eggs. Divide the sausage in half and form into thin patties. Flour both sides of the patty and lay a peeled egg on it. Wrap the sausage up and around like a blanket, working it with your fingers until it thins and covers the whole egg. Make sure it's secure and there is no egg showing. This is actually a lot easier than I was expecting - the sausage stays on very nicely.

Preheat oil in a pot or deep fryer. You want the oil to be hot enough to get the breading nice and crunchy, but not too hot so that it will burn. Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and beat with a fork. Pour breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl or plate, and season with salt and pepper. Roll each sausage-egg in the egg wash, then in the breadcrumbs, and carefully drop into the oil. You can fry two eggs at a time. Cook in the oil for about 4 minutes, then let them rest on a paper towel for a few minutes. Carefully cut the eggs in half with a serrated knife.

You can enjoy your scotch eggs hot or cold. They are great on their own or with a dipping sauce. I whipped up a quick spicy mayo using regular mayonnaise, smoked paprika, a little garlic powder, and a few squirts each of Sriracha and Worcestershire. You can also use a straight hot sauce or anything you like.