Scotch Eggs

[LongLiveRafiki]

I am thinking about making a couple variations of Scotch Eggs for DH and the kids to munch on throughout the day Sunday. I thought it would be a good way to use up some of the eggs the kids will end up dying later this week. I was thinking of the traditional wrapped in sausage and breadcrumbs and fried, another version wrapped in sausage then bacon and baked, and another version that's wrapped in a mashed potato/cheese/chopped bacon mix, then breadcrumbs and fried. I've never cooked scotch eggs before and do not personally eat eggs or meat, so I am going in kind of blind on this. DH and the kids have also never tried scotch eggs (though I think they will love them), so they are no help in answering these questions.

My questions:
1) Is it better to have a soft/runny or a harder yolk in a scotch egg?
2) If the consensus is a runny yolk, can I soft boil the eggs for the kids to dye, then use them a day or two later for the scotch eggs?
3) Should you cut them in half right away or leave them whole until you're going to eat them?
4) Do most people prefer them warm, cold, or room temp?
5) How long can (cooked) scotch eggs sit out before you need to refrigerate?

Bonus question:
I was thinking we'd just have a late breakfast and dinner on Easter and have an antipasto platter of sorts to snack on throughout the day. On it would be the scotch eggs, some cheeses, olives, pickles, pepperoni (request by the 4 yo), and crackers. I'll also have a fruit salad. Does this sound like a good plan? Any suggestions or improvements? Thanks!

 

[macraven]

I’ve never had a runny yoke for scotch eggs.
My eggs are done with a hard boil.

 

[Carol_]

Hard boiled
Served warm/hot
Don’t cut them until serving or after they’re served.
They can sit until room temperature then refrigerate.
Fruit salad is antithetical to scotch eggs. It’s like whipped cream with French fries. I wouldn’t do it.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

There is a trend here towards soft boiled eggs, so that the yolk spreads over the meat as you cut into it.

 

[shoney]

I love scotch eggs.
It’s really a preference. I had them with a runny yoke for the first time I a restaurant in Portland Maine. They were fantastic!
There used to be an English bar in manhattan that served them cold.
I may have to make them now.

 

[L&Lfan]

I think a fruit salad sounds refreshing. I wouldn’t have any problem eating Scotch eggs and fruit salad. I’ve only had Scotch eggs hard boiled, but I love soft boiled eggs so I’d love to try them that way.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Fruit salad is antithetical to scotch eggs. It’s like whipped cream with French fries. I wouldn’t do it

That's hilarious! I never would have thought about that clashing, but it makes sense. The fruit salad is more for me though since I won't be eating the scotch eggs.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I've never had the mashed potato version, but it sounds delicious!
Now I'm hungry...

 

[The WDW 3]

Gordon Ramsay for the win

 

[MrsPete]

We love Scotch Eggs, but I've only made them the traditional way: hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage, rolled in bread crumbs, fried. I serve them with grainy mustard.

Tips:
- I use a cold-cold boiled egg. You don't want to over-cook the egg.
- Do not underestimate the task of wrapping the sausage around the eggs. Keep your sausage quite thin and be sure your eggs are entirely dry.
- I go kinda skimpy on the bread crumbs.
- Deep frying works well, as you don't have to handle the delicate sausage wrapping as much.
- You can make these ahead and fry them at the last minute, but they are not particularly good rewarmed. Odd, huh? Seems like they would "keep well".

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

OMG, I’m getting all confused. I read the title of this thread and thought, “We’re talking about these again. Didn’t we just have this conversation right around St. Patrick’s Day?” So I went back and looked.

I got Scotch eggs confused with Irish potatoes! Haha!!!