How to Make Scotch Eggs

We all have those dishes from our childhoods that we crave but can’t quite make ourselves. Our mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers seemed to know them by heart, but the recipes somehow never managed to get written down— and transcribing our family’s directions involves a lot of imprecise measurements and directions like “some of this” and “cook for a little while.”

For one of our favorite cooking gurus, the One Pot Chef, that magical childhood dish is a Scotch egg, the classic British Isles snack usually associated, of course, with Scotland. They’re delicious hot or cold, and our cooking friend even loves them sliced up on sandwiches!

In a move that should inspire us all to do the same with our favorite childhood foods, the One Pot Chef decided to try to recreate the recipe from memory, and friends? He nailed it! Now, he’s sharing how with us in the video below, and once you see them, you won’t be able to wait to try them yourself.

Scotch Eggs

Makes 6 Scotch eggs
Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus chilling time)
Cooking Time: 6 minutes per batch

Ingredients

  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
  • 18 ounces (500 grams) ground pork (pork mince)
  • 18 ounces (500 grams) ground beef (beef mince)
  • 1 small brown onion, finely grated
  • 1 clove (about 1 teaspoon) garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon mild mustard
  • 2 tablespoons freshly-chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
  • Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Once you’ve got your eggs hard-boiled and all your ingredients assembled, actually making your Scotch eggs is pretty simple! Just use your hands to mix up the ground pork, ground beef, vegetables, herbs and spices, and then shape the meat mixture around the eggs. “Crumb” the wrapped eggs, fry them up and enjoy!


Of course, The One Pot Chef has all kinds of tips in his video to take these Scotch eggs from merely good to deliciously great. Here are some of the ones we want to make sure you don’t miss:
  • When you get your ground pork and ground beef, make sure not to purchase the lean varieties of the meats. For this recipe, a little fat will help them fry up and taste even better!
  • Yes, those breadcrumbs should be fresh! Getting them is easy: just pop a few slices of fresh sandwich bread into a blender or food processor, and crumble them up.
  • After you “crumb” the Scotch eggs, cover them with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Chilling them this way allows the crumb coat to adhere to the eggs better, and they’ll fry up much more nicely.
  • The traditional method of making Scotch eggs – and the way the One Pot Chef makes them in this video! – is deep-frying. If deep frying intimidates you, or you simply prefer not to cook that way, you have another option: shallow fry instead until the Scotch eggs are golden and crisp, then put them into then oven to finish cooking.
  • Don’t worry if you don’t have a thermometer for testing the frying oil. Just drop a tiny piece of bread into the boiling oil when you think it’s starting to be ready for frying. If the piece of bread crisps up quickly and goes golden without absorbing too much oil, the oil is ready!

Now that you’re fully prepared, get the full recipe and method by watching The One Pot Chef’s video below, then checking out his site for even more info!

Are you ready to give these delights a try? Have you ever eaten a Scotch egg before? What about making them? Are there any other varieties or similar dishes out there you’d like to share?