With the weather warming up this week, a picnic is a super way to get together whilst observing social distancing. If you’re thinking about a picnic, try this recipe for scotch eggs. Home made scotch eggs have to be my favourite picnic food. 

I made this recipe for Coeliac UK, and it was featured in their 2019 calendar. We made it gluten free by swapping the sausage meat, flour and breadcrumbs for gluten free alternatives.

We tried two coatings and enjoyed them so much that we have shared them both. One is a gluten free breadcrumb coating, and the other is a grated potato coating*. If you prefer your scotch eggs to be more spicy, try adding spicy seasoning to the sausage meat. If you’re feeling more adventurous, why not experiment and share your favourite flavours?

Scotch Eggs

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

5 eggs

250g gluten free sausage meat or 4 gluten free sausages 

50g cornflour, for dusting

25g white gluten free breadcrumbs* 

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for frying 

*Alternative coating, grated potato: Take one large potato, boil it in its skin for 15 minutes, leave to cool, then grate.

Method

  1. Put 4 eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 3 to 3½  minutes, for a soft centred egg, or 6-7 minutes for a hard centre. Then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, carefully peel the shells from the eggs.
  2. If you want to add spice to the sausage meat, now is the time to do it. If not, then go straight to the next step.
  3. Divide the sausage meat into 4 balls, or skin your sausages, leaving them separate.
  4. Take 3 plates. spread some gluten free flour on one, beat the last egg and spread that on the second and on a third spread the gluten free breadcrumbs mixed with the salt and pepper (or the grated potato if you are using a potato coating. 
  5. To make the Scotch eggs, flatten the sausage-meat into an oval-shaped patty. Gently shape the meat evenly around the egg, moulding it with your hands. 
  6. Roll the meat-wrapped egg in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs or potato. Repeat until all four are prepared.
  7. Heat the oil in a deep pan or deep fat fryer. Carefully lower the eggs into the pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes, turning them every so often, until they are golden and the sausage meat is cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. 

Note: You can bake your eggs if you don’t want to deep fry them. After point 6 above, place them on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 190C/ gas mark 5, until they are lightly browned, which should be about 25 minutes. Check the sausage meat is cooked through.

Credits

My thanks to Coeliac UK for allowing me to use the film, to Mark Shipperley of Mark Shipperley Films for the filming, and James Kennedy of James Kennedy Photography for the photography.