Classic Scotch Egg with Home-made Mustard Mayo
Surprisingly simple to make, these just need the punchy dressing and a salad to make them a complete meal.
Hands-on time 45min, plus cooling and chilling. Cooking time about 30min. Makes 4
FOR THE SCOTCH EGGS
• 5 medium eggs
• 400g pork mince
• 2tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1tsp English mustard
• ¼tsp ground mace
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 75g fresh white breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, to fry
• Salad, to serve
FOR THE MUSTARD MAYO
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 2tsp English mustard
• 150ml vegetable oil
• Juice ¼ lemon
1 For the Scotch eggs, in a large pan of boiling water, cook 4 of the eggs for 6½min exactly. Lift out using a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool. Carefully peel; set aside.
2 In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the mince, thyme, mustard, mace, 1tsp salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Dampen your hands and, in the palm of one hand, flatten ¼ of the meat mixture. Put an egg in the centre and carefully draw up the edges of the mixture to encase it, pinching to seal. Repeat with remaining eggs and meat mixture. Set aside on a baking tray, loosely cover and chill for 30min.
3 Meanwhile, make the mayonnaise. Put the egg yolk and mustard in a medium bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk for 3min. Add the oil a drop at a time, whisking constantly. Don’t add it too quickly or the mayonnaise will curdle. Continue until all the oil is incorporated and you have a creamy mayonnaise, adding a drop of water if it’s getting too thick. Whisk in the lemon juice, season and chill until needed.
4 Beat remaining egg in a bowl, then put the flour and breadcrumbs into two separate bowls, each with some seasoning. Coat each sausage ball in flour (shake off excess), then egg and then breadcrumbs. Set aside.
5 Pour enough oil into a large, heavy-based, high-sided pan so it comes 10cm up the sides. Heat oil to 160°C. Using a slotted spoon, lower in the Scotch eggs and fry for 9min, monitoring the oil temperature as you go. Lift out on to kitchen paper. For runny centres, serve immediately (eggs will continue to cook on cooling), with the salad and mustard mayonnaise.
PER EGG (with 1tbsp mayonnaise) 534cals, 30g protein, 39g fat (7g saturates), 15g carbs (1g total sugars), 1g fibre