Scotch Egg Pasties

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

9 small - eggs

1 lb - sausage meat (pork mince)

  - spring onions (a.k.a. scallions or salad onions)

2 x 18 oz - ready-made shortcrust pastry

  - plain flour (all-purpose flour)

  - salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and lower in 8 of the eggs. Bring the water back to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and then cool the eggs quickly under a cold water tap (this stops them cooking any further). Peel them carefully as the yolks will still be quite soft.
  2. While the eggs are cooking, finely chop the spring onions then mix the sausage meat and onions together using your hands. Season with plenty of salt and freshly-ground black pepper (you can also add some mixed herbs and a dash of Worcestershire Sauce if you want). Roll out a block of pastry until it is large enough to cut 3 x 8" (20cm) circles. Re-roll the trimmings to get the 4th circle then repeat with the other pastry block so that you end up with 8 circles of pastry about the size of a large cereal bowl or large side plate).
  3. Prepare 2 baking sheets by dusting with a little flour. Then, with slightly wet hands, spread about one eighth of the sausage meat mixture over each of the rounds of pastry, leaving a ½" (1cm) gap around the edge. Moisten those 'naked' pastry edges with a little milk or water then place an egg in the middle of the sausage meat. Grind over a little more salt and pepper, then pull both sides of the circle over the egg to meet in the middle. Seal by crimping the edges repeatedly between finger and thumb. Place onto the dusted baking sheets with the crimped edge uppermost.
  4. Beat the final egg and brush over the pasties. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge then bake in a preheated hot oven (Mk 7 - 425ºF - 220ºC), one tray at a time, for 25 minutes until golden. You can either make and bake them on the morning of the picnic and take them along warm, or bake them the day before, allow to cool, chill in the fridge, then pack them cold for your picnic (or snack lunch). Personally, I prefer them cold, but the choice is yours!