Monday, March 28, 2011

"Breakfast in a Bite ... A Wee Bit of Scotch Eggs"




Scotch Eggs

Brunches are a big part of my social life ... and so are breakfasts "on the go".  Today was one of those days.  Got me thinking to my Grandmother's recipe for Scotch Eggs, which is perhaps the most ingenius and inventive way to serve, and eat, breakfast.  What's better than a delicious hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded and baked to a crispy brown?  I made these for our annual pot luck party last year and received accolades from people of all ages ... yes, even kids.  The best thing about this recipe is that it can be tweaked to add other ethnic influences and flavors.  But, my family's are the best

Scotch Eggs are ridiculously simple to make, satisfying to eat at anytime of day, and will be the talk of your next brunch.  I make up a batch on a Sunday morning, and we nosh on the leftovers all week long.  The best part of this meal (yes, it's a meal) is that it saves you the hassle of having to make 2, 3 and sometimes 4 different types of eggs to order for the family at breakfast time.  That's more time for mama to relax, sip her latte and think about how she can spend her newly-found free time not in the kitchen! 

Ingredients:  (The quantity of eggs used depends on the amount of people you are serving)
Hard boiled small eggs (don't overboil your eggs, otherwise the yolks turn green)
2 lbs. ground pork breakfast sausage (I buy the tube)
1 bottle Catalina or Red French/Russian Dressing
Seasoned regular or panko bread crumbs
 
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Keep hands moist with water as you work sausage meat around each hard boiled egg.
- Form into egg-shaped ovals.  Try not to make your finished "eggs" too big. 
- Roll each sausage/egg oval thoroughly in bread crumbs to coat.
- Drizzle dressing on top once you place them on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until brown and crisp and sausage meat is cooked.
- The sausage may crack open revealing some egg.  Always a good thing! 
- Serve either warm or cool with remaining dressing as a dipping sauce on the side.
 
Suggestions:
- Sometimes, I slice the eggs open to add a little interest to the plate. 
- A dash of paprika on the exposed yolk is always a nice touch.  I also add a twist of ground kosher or sea salt on top of the eggs.
- In my household, we always make sure a good bottle of hot sauce is in sight.  Enjoy!

**  My mother cuts her hard boiled eggs into quarters when making this dish.  I've made it with quartered eggs or whole eggs.  I prefer using small whole eggs because of the way I plate this dish.  It's really up to you!  Have fun bringing this quick and easy family tradition into your home! 

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