In this Instructable, we're going to learn how to make Scotch Eggs. This little delicacy was made out of necessity in the Middle Ages by Scottish farmers and shepherds as a means of taking food out to the fields without having to return home for lunch. It was a portable means of having nourishment on the go, so to speak. Designed to be wrapped up in a napkin and put in your pocket or pouch, this snack, along with a small loaf of bread and something to drink, has now become a favorite pub meal, and while it looks extremely complicated when you first eat one, they are incredibly easy to make!

Step 1: Ingredients

6 Hard boiled eggs, cooled and peeled. (Keep submerged in a bowl of water in the fridge)
1 pound tube sausage. (Use a good quality sausage with sage added to it. I prefer Jimmy Dean sage sausage. )
2 eggs
1 Tbl water
Salt
1 cup crushed bread crumbs

Good so far?

Step 2: Preparation

Cut the round tube of sausage into six equal pieces and form loosely into a ball. After you form each ball, put it on a plate and keep them in the refrigerator at all times, until you are ready for each one. This is important, because the heat from your hands will warm up the sausage and make it hard to work with.

Take one of the sausage balls out of the fridge, and with your thumb, make a big indentation in the ball. It should look like a cup-shape made out of sausage. Gently work it into a bowl-shape, keeping the sausage to an even thickness all the way around, like in the photo. Take one of the hard boiled eggs out of the bowl of water, and dry it off with a paper towel. Put the dried-off hard boiled egg into the sausage "bowl" and gently start forming the sausage completely around the egg. Try to keep the sausage an even thickness as you form a layer of sausage around each hard-boiled egg. When you finish, it should look like the photo of a totally sausage-encased egg. Put it back into the refrigerator, and do the other 5 eggs. When you have all 6 eggs done, put the whole plate of sausage-wrapped eggs into the freezer for the next step.

Step 3: Preparation, Part II

Crack two new eggs into a bowl, add 1 Tablespoon of water, and beat until very frothy. Season with salt, and maybe a little freshly ground pepper, and set aside for the moment. Get two small bowls, and into one of them, put 1 cup of bread crumbs. Take your plate of sausage-wrapped eggs out of the freezer.

Do this part one at a time, otherwise it will get REALLY messy! Take one sausage-wrapped egg, and roll it in the beaten eggs to coat and cover completely. Using a large spoon, take the egg out of the egg-wash, and put it in the bread crumbs. Gently roll each egg around in the bread crumbs to completely coat each egg. Put each one back on the plate with the other eggs, as you do each one, until they are all coated with egg wash and bread crumbs. Once you have them all coated, repeat the process, until you have two layers of breadcrumbs.

Put the crumb-coated eggs back into the refrigerator, until you are ready to cook them.

Step 4: Cooking

Heat 1.5 cups of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to 375 degrees F. I prefer to use a cast iron frying pan, as it distributes the heat more evenly, and is just better to use. Doing the eggs one at a time, carefully place one egg into the hot oil and leave it alone for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a pair of very long tongs, turn the egg until you have cooked all of the sausage on each egg, about 3 or 4 minutes between each turn. Be sure to cook the sausage all the way through without burning it. This is the toughest part of the whole dish. If you're not a very good cook, ask someone who is to help you watch the eggs, so that you don't burn them, or overcook the sausage to where it splits and exposes the hard boiled egg inside. This is why you carefully molded the sausage in an even coat around the eggs. Even coating of sausage makes for even cooking, and helps prevent the cooked sausage from shrinking and cracking to expose the egg. When you finish each egg, they all should be an even dark brown color, and look like the photo.

Step 5: Eating

This is the best part!

Cool the eggs for at least 10 minutes, and then slice in two, the long way. You should end up with what looks like a hard boiled egg nestled in a coat of sausage. Put a couple of spoons of dark brown mustard on a plate, arrange the egg halves around the mustard, and if you like, you can even add some crispy fried potatoes or potato chips. Spread a little mustard on the egg, and eat away! These things are better the second day, when they've been kept overnight in the refrigerator. You can either warm them up in the microwave, or eat them cold.

Enjoy!