This Irish Egg recipe came from Clodagh McKenna in her book Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen. This recipe was Scrumptious. The heartiest meal that I have had in months. Packed with protein that will last in your body for a long time. Irish Eggs are best paired with something lite. I paired mine with an arugula and artichoke salad or perhaps you might try a pickled slaw on the side that would make a perfect match! Her recipe calls for blood sausage that sounds divine and traditional however it was not available in my local market. My substitute was Italian Sweet Sausage that worked out great!
Irish Egg Tips
- Wet hands before molding meat patties. I had a little bowl nearby for dipping my hands in.
- I highly suggest the use of the dry hand – wet hand technique for coating eggs. That way you can avoid battered fingers.
Popularity of Irish Eggs
According to YouGov, Irish Eggs or Scotch eggs were found to be among Britain’s least liked foodstuffs in 2019. However in 2020, following controversy as to whether Scotch eggs were considered a substantial meal necessary for pubs, cafés, and restaurants to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, more people began to buy the hearty big egg.
History of Scotch Eggs
The earliest known published recipe titled Scottish eggs dates to 1807. Maria Ketelby Rundell’s version published that year is found verbatim in several cookbooks from that period time. “Boil hard five pullet’s eggs, and without removing the white, cover completely with a fine relishing forcemeat in which let scraped ham or chopped anchovy bear a due proportion. Fry a beautiful yellow-brown, and serve with a good gravy in the dish.” The origin of the dish is hotly debated by culinary enthusiasts. It ranges from a claim by Fortnum & Mason of London that they invented the dish in 1738 and served it to the Prince of Wales and the Royal family regularly. Another theory as to their origin begins much earlier in India. In the very early 1600s, the East Indian Company was formed and trade began between the British and India. Some believe Scotch eggs evolved from an Indian dish called Nargisi Kofta, which is made by wrapping hard-boiled eggs in minced lamb and cooking them.
source: @clodagh_mckenna, yougov, wiki, A Caledonian Feast by Annette Hope