Scotch eggs

I've never made scotch eggs before, but I have always wanted to try. I think these crumbed balls, with the bright yellow yolks in the middle look so pretty. Just like a little surprise package.

We were recently invited for a swim at a friend's house and I offered to bring the an antipasti platter for the evening meal. I made these eggs as a part of the platter. I made extra so we could also try them at home, served with a simple green salad for a light dinner in the hot weather. The little people thought they were really great and even helped me making them, which was a nice activity for us all.

You have to invest a little bit of time to make these eggs, as there are a few steps, and chilling in between, but I think it was worth the effort.

These would be an excellent addition to your next picnic. The eggs would travel well in a sealed container and would be great with some cheese and a little chutney. Yum!

What you'll need

Made 10 eggs

12 medium eggs (10 for insides of the scotch eggs, 2 for the crumbing)
600g pork mince
2 tablespoons Dijon or other mild mustard
1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
1 good pinch salt

For the crumbing

1/2 cup plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
150g dried breadcrumbs

1L vegetable oil for frying

What to do

Boil the eggs. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Place the 10 eggs gently into the pot with a spoon. Boil rapidly for 7 minutes. Then remove the eggs from the water and place into a bowl of cold water until cool (you may have to replace the water a few times with fresh cold water to cool the eggs fully).

Once the eggs are cool, gently peel them. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the mince mixture.

In a bowl, place the mince, mustard, herbs and seasoning. Mix well until combined. Chill the mince mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes. This will make it easier to stick to the eggs.

Once chilled, remove the mince from the fridge. Divide the mince into 10 even balls. Place one ball into the palm of you hand and squish it flat, similar to making a hamburger patty. Place one of the eggs into the centre of the mince in the hand. Now 'work' the mince, squeezing it gently and flattening it with your fingers until your egg is evenly covered. I thought I would run out of mince to cover all the eggs, but if you keep 'working' the mince around the egg you will find it stretches quite far.

Repeat with the remaining eggs. place all the eggs on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Now crumb the eggs. Prepare a plate with the flour. In a bowl, place the eggs and milk and mix together. In a high-sided container (such as a large rectangular Tupperware container) place the breadcrumbs. I find this helps stop the crumbs from going everywhere, especially if you have little people helping with the crumbing.

Take one egg, roll gently in the flour, put into the egg mixture, making sure to cover the whole egg with the mixture, then place into the breadcrumbs. Pat the breadcrumbs onto the ball until it is well covered. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Place into the fridge for at least half an hour to set the crumb mixture.

Now cook the eggs.

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius. 

In a large pot, place the vegetable oil. Heat the oil over high heat. You can check it is ready by placing a small cube of bread into the oil. The bread should go brown in about 10 seconds.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the balls into the oil. I did mine in two batches. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until all the crumbs are golden brown. You may have to move the eggs around and turn them over to ensure it is brown all over. Now place onto a lined oven tray and place into your preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

Once cooked, remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or allow to cool and serve later. 

Serve with some chutney or pesto and a green salad or as a part of an antipasti platter.