Scotch Eggs

Ingredients

• Hide ingredients for 1 pound bulk sausage or ½ recipe Country Sausage 1 1 pound bulk sausage or ½ recipe Country Sausage (opens in new tab) 1 pound bulk sausage or ½ recipe Country Sausage
  • 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of connective tissue
  • 8 ounces leaf lard or pork fatback, rind removed
  • 2 crushed ice cubes, if using a meat grinder, or ¼ cup cold water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram or thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme
  • (2 teaspoons minced fresh savory or ½ teaspoon dried savory)
  • (1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper)
  • (¼ teaspoon ground bay leaf)
  • (Pinch of ground cloves)
  • (6 feet of ¾-inch sausage casings, 4 feet of 1 ½-inch sausage casings, or 2 square feet of caul fat, prepared as described in Stuffing Sausage)

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Cut and chill as directed in Grinding and Mixing Sausage: 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of connective tissue; 8 ounces leaf lard or pork fatback, rind removed
  2. As the meat and fat chill, mix together in a bowl: 2 crushed ice cubes, if using a meat grinder, or ¼ cup cold water; 2 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or ½ teaspoon dried sage; 2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram or thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme; (2 teaspoons minced fresh savory or ½ teaspoon dried savory); (1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper); (¼ teaspoon ground bay leaf); (Pinch of ground cloves)
  3. Grind the chilled meat with a food processor or a meat grinder fitted with a ¼-inch plate (if using a food processor, mix the meat with the seasonings after grinding; if using a meat grinder, mix them before grinding). Fry a small piece of the mixture in a skillet, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed, being careful not to overmix. Form into patties or stuff into: (6 feet of ¾-inch sausage casings, 4 feet of 1 ½-inch sausage casings, or 2 square feet of caul fat, prepared as described in Stuffing Sausage)
  4. If you used a food processor to grind the meat, do not stuff it into casings.
  5. To fry sausage patties and crépinettes, arrange in uncrowded batches in a cold, ungreased skillet and place over medium heat. Cook until well-done and browned on both sides, draining excess fat as necessary. To cook links, see here; remember that crépinettes can also be grilled. The sausage can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
  6. PREGROUND
  7. For a good, casual compromise between homemade and store-bought bulk sausage, start with ground pork and add seasonings as desired. Buy pork that is pale pink, or 25 to 30 percent fat. (If the ground pork looks really lean, replace up to a quarter of it with finely chopped bacon.)
  8. Prepare the seasoning mixture for Country Sausage I and place in a bowl. Add 2 pounds ground pork to the seasonings in small clumps. Toss these clumps with the seasoning, then lightly knead until well mixed. Form the mixture into patties or crépinettes. We do not recommend stuffing preground pork into casings.
• Hide ingredients for 6 Hard-Boiled Eggs, cooked until the yolks are not quite set (7 to 8 minutes for large eggs) 1 6 Hard-Boiled Eggs, cooked until the yolks are not quite set (7 to 8 minutes for large eggs) (opens in new tab) 6 Hard-Boiled Eggs, cooked until the yolks are not quite set (7 to 8 minutes for large eggs)
  • Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator
  • Cold water
  • Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Place in a pot in a single layer: Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator
  2. Cover them by 1 inch with: Cold water
  3. Bring to a boil over high heat. Promptly remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the eggs stand: 8 to 12 minutes for large eggs, or 11 to 15 minutes for extra-large and jumbo eggs (6 to 10 minutes for small and medium eggs). For room temperature eggs, subtract 1 minute from these cooking times. The lower amount of time will yield eggs that have set whites and barely set yolks, while the higher amount of time will yield eggs that are hard-cooked all the way through. When the eggs are done, run cold water over them to stop the cooking.
  4. To peel hard-boiled eggs, crack the shell all over and roll the egg gently between the palms of your hands to free the thin tough skin from the egg and make shelling easier. Find the air cell and start peeling from there, peeling away the inner membrane along with the shell. Rinse the eggs after shelling to remove any shell fragments.
  5. To slice eggs smoothly, dip a knife blade into water before slicing. Hard-boiled eggs are best stored in their shells in the refrigerator. A peeled hard-boiled egg should be used within a few days.
  6. STEAM METHOD
  7. Have ready: Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator
  8. If using a steamer insert, gently place the eggs inside, bring 1½ inches of water to a rapid boil in a pot, and fit the insert onto the pot. If using a steamer basket, place it inside the pot, bring the water to a boil, and gently place the eggs in the basket with long-handled tongs. Cover immediately and steam the eggs on high heat for 8 minutes for large eggs with a set white and fudgy yolk, or 11 minutes for eggs that are firm all the way through. For room temperature eggs, subtract 1 minute from these cooking times. As the eggs cook, fill a bowl with ice water. Immediately transfer the eggs to the ice water and cool completely. Peel as directed in I.
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cups fresh or dry bread crumbs
• 3 inches vegetable oil
• Whole-grain mustard