Scotch quail's eggs

Leo is off to a barbecue tonight. After insisting he wouldn't want anything to eat when he gets back, it has transpired that I am expected to produce "something nice, but light and tasty...". Whatever that means. 

I have decided on Scotch quail's eggs- bite sized balls which explode with taste (and a runny yolk, if cooked correctly) in your mouth.

Until last summer, it had been around ten years since I had gone near a scotch egg. Mentally scarred since my primary school days by the rubbery balls of pallid sausage meat which uncovered a greying egg once you bit into them, giving them another chance was definitely not for nostalgias sake, but rather to make a clean break with the past. 

These are quite fiddly to make, but absolutely worth it.    

Ingredients

12 quails eggs

200g fresh breadcrumbs

300g sausage meat 

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp mustard powder

1 bunch of sage, finely chopped

Flour, to dust

Salt and pepper

2 litres of vegetable oil

Method 

1. First, cook the quails eggs. For soft boiled eggs, place in a boiling pan of water for two minutes. For hard boiled leave for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl of iced water for five minutes to halt the cooking process. Peel the eggs carefully, by tapping gently and peeling away the shell. Set to one side.

2. Add the sage and the mustard powder to the sausage meat and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to ensure the seasonings are well incorporated. Take a marble sized piece of sausage meat in your hand and flatten it so it covers the egg. Gently roll the egg in your hand, making sure that the sausage meat completely covers it.

3. Now, dust the sausage covered eggs in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip these briefly in the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs until they are covered completely. 

4. To cook, heat a deep pan half filled with oil (or a deep fat fryer) to 180 degrees. Test the temperature by dropping in a few breadcrumbs- they should turn golden, but not burn. Drop in the eggs carefully, in batches if necessary. Fry for three minutes or until golden brown. 

These eggs are best eaten hot alongside English mustard but also work well for a picnic.