Scotch Eggs

Something new we have just discovered in our house are scotch eggs. Have you ever tried these? They were very interesting. Definitely will be making more appearances in our house. Not the healthiest thing around so we can't have it every day....but what is life without a few indulgences???

Hard boiled eggs
Breakfast sausage
eggs for coating
cornflakes
oil for frying
Optional: shredded cheddar cheese
                bacon
                hollandaise sauce for dipping

Basic instructions:
Start by hard boiling your eggs. Once cooked, peel and wrap in uncooked breakfast sausage. In a small bowl crunch up cornflakes. In another small bowl whisk up a few eggs to use for coating. Heat oil for frying. After wrapping sausage, dip in egg and roll in cornflakes. Fry in oil until cooked through. About 5-6 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Variations:
Crumble up your sausage in a bowl as before and mix in shredded cheddar cheese. Wrap bacon around hard boil egg before wrapping it in sausage. Fry as above. I like to use a toothpick to poke a few holes through the sausage so the bacon cooks up crispy as well.

You can make hollandaise sauce for dipping. I prefer to have it on the side. If I am making the sauce and the variation, I leave the cheese out of it.


Hollandaise Sauce:

4 egg yolks
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of salt

Act crazy and whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

Cowboy Eggs

Basically, a piece of bread with a hole and an egg in the middle. OK. Not basically, literally. That’s all it is.

There are many different aliases: egg-in-the-hole, bird’s nest, egg baskets, one-eyed monsters, the list is endless. Whatever you decide to call them, they are quick and easy early in the morning. This happens to be my sons favorite breakfast.

Typically, people will tell you to use a 2 inch round cookie cutter to cut your hole in your bread. I guess they’re super organized and actually know where their 2 inch round cookie cutter is. At 6:30 in the morning, I have no idea where my cookie cutter is and really don’t care to look for it. So I just use whatever I have on hand: a glass, the top to the cooking spray, the random dinosaur sandwich cutter I always seem to have beside me, or a knife to cut the best circle I can. So what if it’s a little lopsided, right?

Here's what you will need:

1 large slice of bread (sandwich bread will work, firmer bread is better)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Using a cookie cutter, cut a circle in the middle of the slice of bread.
2. Over medium heat, melt half the butter. Place the bread in the butter and swirl around to coat and toast. Crack the egg into the hole. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Let the egg set for about a minute. Flip the bread and add the rest of the butter. Swirl and coat, but beware of the egg. Don’t let it lose. By the time the bread is toasted the egg will have set.
3. Transfer to a plate and dig in.

Your personal preference on how you like your eggs will determine the amount of time you spend with your egg on the heat. If you have picky eaters that will not touch a runny egg you can pop the yolk with a fork after you crack it. On the other end, if you prefer runny eggs you can crack the egg, flip the bread and cover the pan with a lid until the top is set the way you like.

Take it a step farther:

I tried this one morning and I will admit it was pretty tasty. It reminded me of an egg sandwich. I'm not a huge fan of eggs so I decided to add some of the precooked bacon crumbles or breakfast sausage I keep on hand in my fridge for quick additions. I just mixed it in with the egg before it set. I prefer my eggs cooked. Once it was on my plate I shredded a little cheese on top. Oh it was good. Fast and tasty. All completed within a few minutes.

If you would like to read my blog on kitchen prep click here.