Scotch Eggs

by Michael Smith

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 cup of flour, give or take
1 lb. ground sausage
2 Tbsp. sage, chopped
pinch of mace
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Directions:
Hard-boil the eggs and peel them.
Roll the peeled eggs in flour. If they're a little wet from the peeling, so much the better.
Mix sage and mace into sausage.
Take about 1/6 of a pound of sausage for each egg, and wrap the eggs in it. I find the easiest way to do this is to make the sausage into a little ball and flatten it out in the palm of my left hand. Then I place the egg in the middle of the sausage and use both my hands to shape the sausage around it. A little gentle pressure can help eliminate air pockets and even out the coating. It's easier than it sounds.
Then dip the ball in beaten egg, and roll it in breadcrumbs.
Deep-fry, one or two at a time, at about 325-350 degrees (depending on the thickness of the sausage) for 4-5 minutes. Drain and allow to cool completely before halving them.
Notes:
I like to add a little extra salt to the sausage, but this can be a bit of a lottery. You also sometimes see "mini" eggs about the size of golf balls -- made with the eggs chopped small and formed into little balls -- at buffets and so on, as they are a little more genteel and not so filling. I have always rather wanted to make them with quail eggs.