Air fryer Scotch eggs

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Remove cold eggs from refrigerator and use a slotted spoon to carefully place them into boiling water. Do not crowd eggs in pan.

Reduce heat and cover pan.

Simmer for EXACTLY 6 minutes.

While eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath for the eggs in a large bowl.

After 6 minutes, use the slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water.

Immediately submerge cooked eggs in the prepared ice bath for 10 minutes.

The purpose of this step is to halt the cooking process; vital to achieving creamy, runny Scotch Egg centers.

Divide the sausage into 6 equal portions, each weighing 2⅓ ounces [66 grams].

I strongly suggest using a kitchen scale for this step: the cooking times are based on using a specific type and amount of sausage. If you use too much or too little, or use a sausage with a different fat content, your cooking times may be different.

Roll each portion into a ball and place in refrigerator.

GENTLY peel the prepared soft-boiled eggs.

Patience is rewarded in the recipe. Six-minute eggs require a delicate hand; unlike hard-boiled eggs, the yolk inside is too soft to offer any resistance against the white while being peeled, so they will break if you are too rough taking off the shell.

Rinse each egg, and then use a paper towel to carefully pat it dry. Set aside.

Start with a COLD sausage ball, straight from the fridge.

Place meatball in the center of an 8×8 parchment square.

Gently pat the meatball down until you have an oval that is about a ¼-inch thick, and roughly 3 eggs long and 2 eggs wide.

Place the parchment square in your palm.

Gently lay a cold, dry, soft-boiled egg on top of the sausage oval, with the ends of the egg perpendicular to the long sides of the oval.

Gently pull the sausage away from the parchment as you wrap it around the egg.

Continue until the sausage has completely released from the parchment and the egg is covered with sausage.

Removed the thick sausage points at each end.

Check the egg carefully for areas that might be too thin or too thick, and use the excess removed from the points to seal the edges and even out any thin spots.

When the sausage appears to be distributed uniformly around the egg, gently pass the egg carefully from one hand to the other a couple of times, allowing the warmth of your palms to smooth the outside surface a bit and the gentle pressure to even out any bumps or rough spots on the surface.

If the sausage is too sticky, wet your hands with cold water and then gently dry them. You don’t want to use “wet” hands, but slightly damp hands will discourage the sausage from sticking to them.

You will need three small bowls.

Bowl 1: Wondra & garlic powder. (Stir to combine.)

Bowl 2: Beaten egg.

Bowl 3: Panko crumbs, brown sugar, and chili powder.

Roll each sausage-covered egg in flour mixture [Bowl 1] and shake off excess, then dip in the beaten egg [Bowl 2], and finally roll in the Panko crumbs [Bowl 3].

When I finish rolling the eggs in the last bowl, I like to pass it carefully from one hand to the other a couple of times, to help form and structure the outside crust a bit; much like you would form a meatball, but exerting far less external pressure.

Place breaded eggs on a plate until you have enough done for one batch. (2-6 depending on the size of your air-fryer.).

Preheat air fryer at 380° for 10 minutes.

Set the scotch eggs on the bottom of your air fryer basket. Be sure to leave generous space around each one for air to circulate.

Air-fry eggs for 12 minutes, turning halfway through for more even browning.

See NOTES for alternate cooking times.

Serve alone, or with your favorite dipping sauce (i.e., Whole Grain Mustard, Sriracha-Mayo, or Honey-Mustard Sauce, etc.).