Scotch Eggs (Or why I hate the British a little less)

Maybe it's because I was a Centennial baby or maybe it's their perfect English accent that rubs me the wrong way. It could be that every British person I have worked with has been terrible but as everyone knows I have a strong dislike towards the British. I am willing to turn the other cheek now that I have been introduced to one of their delicacies called Scotch Eggs. Let's get to cooking....

Apparently what I gleaned from wikipedia are these fabulous little mounds of pure heaven are sold throughout Britain at gas stations and restaurants. There are several different variations but today we'll start out with a simple one that you can adjust to your taste.

First you'll need to start with these ingrediants:

8 eggs hard boiled
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground sausage
Spices (I used garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, etc. Basically open your spice cabinet and throw whatever you think sounds good in there)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

There are a few options that can add an additional crunch, but it's best to eat them fresh with the coating as it turns mushy and unappealing in the fridge.

1 bag fried pork rinds (Or as I call them the #2 food behind bacon)
2 raw eggs

So let's get started! First hard boil your eggs by putting eggs in a pot and and covering them with cold water to about an inch or two above the eggs. Place on stove and bring eggs to a boil over medium high heat. After water starts to rapid boil, set a timer for 1 minute then when the timer is done simply remove from heat, cover and allow them to sit for 12 minutes. Finally, move them to a bowl filled with very cold or ice water and let them sit for 5 minutes. Now simply peel them (It's ok if they are still a bit warm, it makes the pork cook more evenly anyway) and we are ready for the next step.

Editors Note: You can use all the wives tales you want like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, standing on one leg while it boils, etc to try and make them easier to peel but the only surefire method I have found is to buy them 4-5 days in advance. Older eggs seem to always peel easier and we eat 2-3 dozen eggs a week now so we are pretty confident in our strategy.

Now preheat your oven to 400, take a baking sheet with a lip and put a layer of parchment paper on it. You can lay out your eggs on the paper for the meat wrapping that comes next.

Now it's time for the meat! Using a large bowl dump in the 2 pounds of pork and sausage. If your one of those people that are scared of uncooked meat I would don some gloves at this point foward. Throw in all your spices on the meat mixture and mix together with your hands until the pork, sausage and spices are well mixed. Using your amazing division skills, divide the the meet up into 8 pieces and start wrapping them around the hard boiled eggs. I never seem to get the meat right the first time and end up stealing meat from one egg to put on another one. Make sure no egg is showing and the meat is uniform.

Now this next optional step makes them even better and actually seems to make them hold together a bit better (Not split open). Crush up your pork rinds into a fine mixture and put in a pie dish. Put your two eggs in a small bowl and whip them until they are frothy. Dip each ball o meat in the egg mixture then roll them in the pork rinds. They should now look like this (I do half rinds, half plain)...

Place back on the parchment paper and then throw them in the oven for 25-30 minutes. I usually broil them slightly after the 30 minutes to ensure a good crust on them.

That's it, now enjoy the pork rind ones after they come out of the oven or wrap them up individually for that quick morning meal or daily snack.