Do you have pork mince and hard boildd eggs in your fridge? Then here’s a recipe that you definitely want to make today! Let me show you how to make this scotch eggs recipe!
So where’s the tomato sauce, I can hear you say.
Well here’s the catch.
This scotch eggs recipe is in fact a summer version of the popular classic: scotch eggs in tomato sauce. And yes, in Belgium these scotch eggs in tomato sauce are also a very popular dish! Not only in the UK.
Bird’s Nests
Did you know that?
Here in Belgium we call these meat wrapped scotch eggs ‘bird’s nests’.
They go by the name of ‘vogelnestjes’ in Flemish and Dutch, we call them ‘nid d’oiseaux’ in French. And we mostly serve them with creamy mashed potatoes as a side dish.
Or Belgian fries, of course.
Tomato Sauce & Mash
We usually let the mince meat coated eggs simmer and stew in a rich and homemade tomato sauce for a couple of hours. I don’t think I have to tell you that these scotch eggs are a great comfort food for cold and snowy winter evenings.
But hey, I was making this recipe in the middle of a hot July. So I thought I should ditch that tomato sauce and potato mash and go for a lighter plan B this time.
Scotch Eggs Recipe with Yogurt Sauce
What I also like about scotch eggs is the fact that you can easily prepare the eggs a couple of hours or even a day in advance.
You can hard boil the eggs, season and combine the ground meat or also even coat the eggs the day before. However I wouldn’t roll in and coat them with the panko yet. The panko will become all soggy and it will be hard to let the outside crisp up.
I would just leave that small job for the day after.
Do you love cooking with panko breadcrumbs?
Then also check out my Japanese breaded chicken, also known as chicken katsu!
Enjoy!
Easy Scotch Eggs Recipe
This scotch eggs recipe is a summer version of a Belgian classic: scotch eggs in tomato sauce. Here we call them bird's nests.
- 1 lb ground pork (450 g)
- 4 small hard-boiled eggs (peeled)
- ½ small red onion chopped
- 2 tsp garlic paste chopped
- 4,5 oz unsweetened yogurt (125 g)
- 5 tbsp breadcrumbs or panko
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
- a handful fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh chives chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pepper
- salt
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Pour the ground pork in a large mixing bowl and add half of the garlic paste together with a good dash of pepper and salt.
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Stir or knead the mince well. Then divide it into 4 even portions. Flatten them a little and place a peeled egg on top.
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Then fold the mince nicely over the whole egg and cover it all over.
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Pour the panko in a deep plate and coat the eggs with it.
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Now you can either bake the scotch eggs in a preheated oven at 428°F (220°C) for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden or fry them in hot oil until crisp and golden. In the meantime make the yogurt dressing. Pour the yogurt in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, the rest of the garlic paste, the chopped red onion and the freshly chopped tarragon, mint and chives. Season with a sprinkle of pepper.
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Stir the dressing well. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt or lemon juice to taste if necessary.
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Once the eggs are cooked and ready, cut them in half and place them onto plates. Serve with the yogurt dressing.
