Spiced Scotch egg

For some people, the lack of starchy foods on their plates seems a little boring. I can't say I mind having just a big piece of fish or meat, with a big salad, but sometimes it's nice to spice up the ordinary daily plate. This is such a recipe. Ordinary meat transferred into spicy meat with a surprise inside.

I believe that Scotch eggs are traditionally eaten, cut into parts, as a snack. They are also breaded and deep fried. So technically, this recipe is not for Scotch eggs. The spice mix I used is also probably not very Scottish either...

I decided that I don't really care and call them "Scotch" anyway. Ïf you fry them well enough, they will be crispy and you will never miss the breading. Also, I chose to shallow fry them. Why? I don't have a deep fryer. That one's still on the wish list. So, here's the recipe for not-so-Scotch-eggs:


Ingredients (makes 2 Scotch eggs):

2 hard boiled eggs9 oz. (250 gr) ground beef
1 egg white, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp onion powder



Mix the meat with the egg white and spices. Knead thoroughly. Devide the meat into two portions and flatten on a work surface, like in the picture below.

Fold the meat around the egg and seal. Make sure it's properly sealed. Heat, on high, a good amount of fat (2 tbsp) in a deep pan, for instance a Dutch oven. When the fat is hot, take the meatballs between to spoons and gently lower them into the pan. Now comes the hard part. You've got to cook them all around. That's not easy, because of the round shape, but with the use of two spoons, it's a little easier. Just be patient and turn them every two minutes, moving them around a little, so they don't stick to the pan (and avoid breaking the meat).

Once you've seared them all around (which makes them slightly crispy on the outside), lower heat to very low, put the lid on, and let them cook for about 20 minutes, turning them every now and then.

I served them for dinner and after a few bites I suddenly heard the boyfriend shout out in surprise: "Oh wow! There's an egg inside!", like a little kid with a Kinder surprise. Only this time the surprise wasn't in the egg, the egg actually was the surprise. And not a choking hazard :-)