sausage

Extra large eggs for extra large taste. Make them on News Years Eve to take to a small party – and for a easy New Years Day snack when you’re hung over as balls.

Ingredients

10 large free-range eggs , 2 beaten
800 g quality sausage meat
1 small bunch fresh chives , finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh tarragon , leaves picked and finely chopped
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon English mustard
2 tablespoon caramalised onion chutney
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
plain flour , for dusting
150 g good-quality white breadcrumbs
2 litres vegetable oil
3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil

Music I cooked to:

Method

Get quality sausage meat. Buy some sausages from a reputable butcher.
Slit the sausages open and squeeze out the meat into a bowl.
Put the first 8 eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, carefully peel them.
Add the herbs to the sausage meat.
Add the nutmeg, the mustard, the caramalised onion chutney, and a teaspoon of salt and pepper.
Mix together then divide into 8 balls.
Make up a plate with a small handful of flour, one with the beaten eggs and a third with the breadcrumbs.
To construct the Scotch eggs, flour your hands. Flatten one of the sausage balls into an round pattie. Roll a peeled boiled egg in the flour, then place in the centre of the sausage pattie. Carefully shape the sausage evenly around the egg.
When the sausage meat covers the egg dip into the beaten egg, then the breadcrumbs. Repeat this process for a better coating.
Heat the oil in a deep oven pot (or deep fat fryer) to about 150ºC/300ºF. Test if the oil is hot enough by adding a cube of bread or a small ball off sausage meat and leaving it for about a minute – if it sputters and browns the oil is at temperature.Use cooking thermometer if you have one. Carefully lower the eggs into the pan using a slotted spoon and cook for about 5 – 6 minutes, turning them every so often, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
If you’re worried about the meat being under-cooked pop them in a hot oven (180ºC) for a couple of minutes.
Cool the eggs slightly, then serve with some more off the pickle.