Scotch Eggs with Parmigiano-Reggiano

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp plain flour
• 375 g ground beef mince (500g if large eggs are used) from Cumberland sausages
• 4 medium-sized eggs
• 1 extra egg for crumbing
• 4 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
• 75 g breadcrumbs
• 350-500ml vegetable oil for frying (depending on height of pot)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dollop mustard
• Generous amount of cracked black pepper
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the four eggs in a pot and bring the water to a boil. Take the pot off the heat, place a lid on top and leave the eggs to sit for 9 minutes.

2. 2

   In the meantime, take the sausages and one by one squeeze the minced meat out of the skin over a mixing bowl.

3. 3

   Add flour, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cracked black pepper and one tablespoon of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix well and form a ball. Then divide the mixture in four equal parts.

4. 4

   After the eggs have been left in the heat for 9 minutes, drain the hot water and douse them with cold water. Remove the shells and leave them to cool.

5. 5

   Lay out two bowls and a plate. Crack an egg in one of the bowls and whisk it up with a fork. In the second bowl, add the breadcrumbs and the remaining three tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

6. 6

   Take one piece of meat, flatten it in your palm and place a hard-boiled egg in the middle. Wrap the meat around the entire egg. Make sure there are no holes. Do the same with the other eggs.

7. 7

   One by one place the meat-covered eggs in the whisked egg and then in the Parmigiano-Reggiano-breadcrumb-mixture and put them on a plate.

8. 8

   Take a high-rimmed pot and fill it with vegetable oil. Heat up the oil. To find out if the oil is ready for frying, take a few breadcrumbs and sprinkle them in the oil. If they start to sizzle, the Scotch eggs are ready to be fried. Use kitchen tongues to place the eggs carefully in the hot oil. If there is not enough space to fry all eggs at once, fry them two at a time. It can get very smoky from the frying oil, so open a window or switch on the exhaust hood.

9. 9

   Fry the eggs for about 5 minutes in the oil until golden brown, then remove them from the pot with the kitchen tongues and place them on a plate laid out with kitchen towels. Dab off any excess oil, then put the Scotch eggs on a baking tray and cook them in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, middle rack, at 180°C (fan) or Gas Mark 5.

10. 10

    Serve warm or cold with a side salad or as a snack. They are ideal to take to a picknick. Kept in the fridge, they will keep for up to 2 days.