Stephen's Scotch Eggs

This post is dedicated to my brother, Stephen, a Marine currently serving his first (and hopefully ONLY) tour in Afghanistan.  My family briefly stayed in Wimbledon, England, with my aunt and uncle, where we were first introduced to Scotch eggs.  They are greasy, fatty, and full of protein, and boy are they delicious!  Today, if you ask Stephen what his favorite ethnic cuisine is, he is likely to mention British food as one of his favorites, largely due to Scotch eggs, which he ate plenty of during our stay in Wimbledon.  When I saw this recipe online, it reminded me of him, and I just had to make them in his honor.

Like many British foods, this is traditionally deep-fried, but mine is a somewhat healthier version, in that it is baked.  A Scotch egg is simple... a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded, and cooked so that the sausage and egg meld into one portable, hand-held breakfast or snack, perfect for the Atkins dieter or anyone who needs a major protein boost.

The recipe is simple.  Boil some eggs, wrap them in some breakfast sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage), coat in an egg wash, roll in Panko, and bake.  I'm going to call this first try a fail, mainly because I forgot about them in the oven and they baked WAY too long, and the sausage shrunk and split, revealing the egg underneath.  But they were still quite tasty, and they stand alone as a perfect breakfast, without the need for condiments (though if you must, they go best with a dollop of stone-ground mustard).

For one batch, you need about 5 large hard-boiled eggs (I used 10-minute eggs), one pound of sausage, one beaten egg for the wash, and about 1/4 cup of panko breading.  You could use fresh breadcrumbs or any store-bought seasoned breadcrumbs, but I prefer Panko for the delicious crisp they provide.  Estimate one egg per serving, as they are quite rich.  I will definitely be making these for Stephen when he gets home from Afghanistan, and I hope he enjoys these as much as he loved the ones from his stay in England!