If you've never had Scotch eggs, you are in for a treat.  Hard boiled eggs coated with sausage and herbs and deep fried are beyond delicious. My mother used to make this treat for us but I had long forgotten just how good Scotch Eggs were until I had a late evening  'snack' at 'The Reading Room' located off the lobby at, The Four Seasons, now the Intercontinental in Dublin.

History

Oddly enough, this dish did not originate in Scotland, but as it is told, the word  'scotch' was really  'scorched' from the Algerian Recipe, Narcissus Meatballs, where the pork coated egg was cooked over an open flame, hence becoming scorched.  It is easy to see how the word evolved from 'scorch' to scotch'.

According to Adam Edwards' article in the The Telegraph, the 18th century Scotch Eggs became a favorite British snack when London's famed provisioner, Fortnum & Mason would make this delicacy for wealthy travelers to pack while traveling by coach.  The sausage encasement was more like a pâté then but as they became more popular, less expensive meats where used so all classes could afford them.

Guinness & Coke

Only one of the many cocktail served at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Guinness & Coke is in good company with Guinness Black Velvet (Guinness & Champagne), Guinness Bloody Mary (Traditional Bloody Mary with a punch!) or try the Wilde Oscar (Guinness Extra Stout with Bourbon and other good stuff).

Scotch Eggs

recipe courtesy of the BBC

Ingredients

– 4 large eggs.

– 10 oz sausage meat

– 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

– 1 finely chopped scallion or 1 tbs of onion

– 6 oz plain flour, seasoned with fresh salt & pepper

– 1 beaten egg

– 6 oz breadcrumbs

– vegetable oil for deep frying (to almost cover the eggs)

– salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the eggs in a pot of moderately boiling water over for eight minutes.

2. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, then peel.

3. Mix the sausage meat with the parsley and scallions in a bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Create a flat oval of about 5 inches x 3 inches of the sausage meat.

5. Place the seasoned flour onto a plate, then dredge each boiled egg in the flour.

6. Place each onto a sausage meat oval, then wrap the sausage meat around each egg. Make sure the coating is smooth and completely covers each egg.

7. Dip each sausage meat-coated egg in the beaten egg, rolling to coat completely, then dip and roll into the breadcrumbs to completely cover.

8. Heat the oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan, until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. and fry each scotch egg into the hot oil and deep-fry for 8-10 minutes, until golden and crisp and the sausage meat is completely cooked.

9. Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Cindy is a self proclaimed home cook.  Besides being the co-founder of Artisans List, Cindy cooks from her kitchen garden all summer and shops at local farms.  Her favorite recipes are those handed down to her from her grandmothers and from friends, who like herself, sometimes wish that they lived in the 18th century.