MAKES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 35 MIN, FRYING TIME 10 MIN, PLUS COOLING
Make the mash, and cook and cool the eggs the day before, then keep both chilled in the fridge. Alternatively, reheat the fully cooked eggs the next day in a medium oven for 10 minutes or until they begin to smell fragrant.
Morcilla is the Spanish version of black pudding. Find it in Spanish delis or online at brindisa.com. If you can’t get it, use black pudding instead.
The timings in step 3 should give you eggs with runny centres. If you want firmer yolks, boil for 3-4 minutes more.
• 400g floury potatoes, such as maris piper, chopped into chunks
• 2 litres sunflower oil to deep-fry, plus a glug
• 300g morcilla or black pudding, crumbled or finely chopped (see Know-how)
• 50g manchego or cheddar cheese, grated
• Large knob of butter
• Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
• 10 large free-range eggs – 6 of them whole, 4 lightly beaten
• Plain flour for coating
• 250g dried breadcrumbs
• Sea salt flakes to sprinkle
YOU’LL ALSO NEED…
• Digital probe thermometer
1. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for 15-20 minutes until just tender. Meanwhile, heat a glug of oil in a frying pan. Crumble the morcilla into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, without stirring, until slightly crisp. Fry, but this time stirring, for another 2 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.
2. When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat, drain and steam dry for a couple of minutes. Return to the pan, then mash well. Add the cheese and butter, season well, stir in the fried morcilla and parsley, then leave to cool.
3. Meanwhile, put the 6 whole eggs in a pan of boiling water and cook for 6 minutes exactly (see tip). Drain, cool under running water, then carefully shell. (It will help if your eggs aren’t exceedingly fresh – older eggs peel more easily.)
4. Once the mash has cooled, divide it into 6 equal pieces (about 100g per egg). With lightly floured hands, press each piece, one at a time, into a flat disc of mash a little smaller than your upturned hand. Put the disc in your palm and place an egg in the middle, then bring the disc up around the egg to enclose, making sure there are no gaps or places where the mash is too thin – the casing should be about 1cm thick.
5. Once all the eggs are wrapped, roll each one first into flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess each time. Press the breadcrumbs gently into the eggs in your hands to keep them secure, then dip back into the egg and again into the breadcrumbs, pressing in the breadcrumbs again.
6. Heat the sunflower oil in a large heavy-based saucepan until it reads 160°C on a digital thermometer. Fry the eggs in batches for 5-6 minutes until golden and crisp, then serve immediately, halved, sprinkled with sea salt, with a tomato dip or relish alongside. They’re best warm but they can also be eaten cold – the yolks will stay runny.
PER SCOTCH EGG
• 648kcals,
• 37g fat (10.8g saturated),
• 27.3g protein,
• 50.7g carbs (2.7g sugars),
• 2.1g salt,
• 1.4g fibre
