Family Foodings and Gluten-Free Scotch Eggs

The weatherman lies. 

My afternoon of clear blue skies, bright sunshine, and 18c temperatures did not materialise. But in true family fashion we still had our little garden party out on the patio, shivering. 

The tomato, spinach, and cheddar quiche was consumed in around 10 minutes, the beef remained pink and succulent, and the lemon tart did me proud. I was a happy bunny. 

And despite my nephew staging a moody, teenage sit-in at one point, we didn't kill each other. Good times. 

And I made these bad boys: 

It's a gluten-free scotch egg! My wheat intolerant sister was incredibly thrilled; she hadn't had a scotch egg in 12 years. It was actually the first time I'd ever made them and they ended up almost perfect. 

So here's how I did it... 

To make 4 big eggs (half is a pretty good serving for 1 person): 

4 large eggs

White gluten-free bread 

Pork mince 

Half a teaspoon of oregano

Half a teaspoon of sage 

Salt and Pepper 

About half a litre of vegetable oil (enough to cover the eggs in the saucepan)

First soft boil the eggs for around 4 minutes. Leave them in the saucepan and run the cold tap over them for a few minutes (this keeps the yolks from discolouring) and then leave them in cold water for about 30 minutes to cool completely. 

To make the breadcrumbs simply whizz up some white gluten-free bread in a food processor; 4-5 slices will be plenty. 

Mix the pork mince, oregano, sage, seasoning, and a little beaten egg - it's messy but better to do this with your fingers to break down the mince. Then leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. For gluten-free scotch eggs you can't use ordinary sausage meat as it usually contains wheat, but for ordinary scotch eggs and as a time saver feel free to use it! 

When the eggs are cool peel the shells and give the soft boiled egg a little rinse to make sure none of the shell is left behind. 

Now to wrap the eggs in meat; it's easiest to do this using cling film. Get a small handful of meat and roll it into a ball using your fingers, then flatten it out onto a large square of cling film so that the meat is around 1cm thick. Pop the egg into the middle of the meat and pull up the sides of the cling film so that the meat folds around the egg. Use the clingfilm to then mould the meat around the egg, making sure there are no gaps. 

Now set up your scotch egg assembly line; 2 beaten eggs in a bowl and your breadcrumbs on a plate. First roll the meaty egg into the beaten egg (remember to remove the clingfilm!) making sure it's well coated, then roll around in the breadcrumbs on the plate. Make sure the egg is completely coated in breadcrumbs and they all stick. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan to 170c (use a thermometer). Using a large metal spoon, lower the scotch eggs carefully into the hot oil one at a time. Use the spoon the turn the eggs over until they're golden brown and crispy (3-4 minutes). Alternatively use a deep fat fryer if you have one! 

Then place the scotch eggs onto a baking tray and pop into a 180c/160c fan oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before eating. 

It sounds a lot of faff, but think of the joy on your coeliac-loved one's face when you present them with a scotch egg...