Classic Scotch Eggs With Creamy Mustard Sauce

Scotch eggs are a British treat that is mainly enjoyed cold as picnic food, but these hand-held snacks have also become a popular item on America's gastropub menus. To make Scotch eggs, hard-cooked eggs are wrapped in a pork sausage and breadcrumb crust and then baked or deep-fried until crispy and golden brown. Traditionally, a mustard sauce is offered on the side.

For this recipe, hard-boiled eggs are wrapped in a layer of ground sausage and then coated in breadcrumbs, an egg and mustard mixture, and then breadcrumbs again. Although Scotch eggs can be deep-fried, here they are baked, making them a little healthier, as well as less messy and easier to prepare. As an accompaniment, a sauce of butter, half-and-half, and Dijon mustard is quickly cooked on the stove, providing a tasty dipping sauce with a little tang.

There is no doubt Scotch eggs have a long history, but where and who invented them is up for debate. One story is that they originated in Yorkshire, England, in the 19th century, and were named "Scotties" after the eatery where they were first made; they included a fish paste instead of ground sausage. Another version is that Scotch eggs are an interpretation of nargisi kofta, an Indian dish brought back to England by returning soldiers. A third claim comes from Fortnum & Mason, a London department store that states it created the Scotch egg in 1738 as a snack for wealthy travelers. One thing that seems consistent is that the Scotch egg was not a Scottish recipe.