Scotch Eggs (flexitarian style)

A few years ago, Eric and I were in Spokane, Washington for a gig (I was there to write a story, yes, that’s right, I actually used to get paid to write travel pieces until COVID hit and well, that’s a story for another post) and we ended up in an Irish pub—he has an affinity for Irish pubs and without fail, we seem to always end up walking down a street that has one. Go figure. Anyhoo, according to some random person it was “one of the oldest in the country.” I can’t validate their remark and quite frankly, I don’t think it’s accurate considering how many Irish pubs there are in Philly and NYC and other, older parts of the U.S., but eh, who knows. Regardless, O’Doherty’s Pub was about as pure as it comes, with regard to Irish pubs that is. From the food to the drinks to the atmosphere … it screamed Dublin. But since this post isn’t a review or anything even close, I’m not going into the details of the joint, you can Google it yourself, or better yet, visit : )

But, what this post is about on this lovely St. Patrick’s Day is, well, read the title: Scotch Eggs.

As a cold item, the London department store Fortnum & Mason claims to have invented Scotch eggs in 1738, as a traveler’s snack.

We ordered Guinness (duh), clams and Scotch eggs … it was my first time ever having them and I was intrigued. Would it be possible, I wondered, to make these without using meat? The answer my friends is yes, yes, it is possible and they are AMAZING! Bonus, they freeze well too so you can heat them up on any given workday morning.

Flexitarian Scotch Eggs

PREP TIME: 25 minutes | COOK TIME: 25 minutes

• 1 lb of your favorite brand of plant-based “sausage”
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 4 soft-boiled eggs
• 1 egg, not cooked
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup Panko, other breadcrumbs, or try corn flakes
• Olive oil for cooking
• Mustard for serving

Place whole eggs in a pot with cold water. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and let stand for 3-4 minutes. Then immediately remove and place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Once these are fully cooled, peel carefully not to break the whites. Set aside. Mix onion with “sausage” then divide into 4 equal patties. Place an egg in the center of each patty and carefully fold the “sausage” around the eggs until you have four balls of equal size. Pour flour into a flat dish. Do the same with the panko and then make and then beat the remaining egg in a separate bowl making an egg wash. Roll in flour, then egg wash, then panko until nicely coated. Heat ¼ cup oil in pan over medium heat and cook for a total of 10 minutes, carefully rotating to make sure every side is nicely browned. Once cooked, pat dry on paper towels and serve immediately with mustard on the side. Enjoy, because theses are legit really, really f’ing good!

DISCLAIMER: Our recipes are just that, ours. Some are modified versions of dishes we’ve had elsewhere or old-favorites that contained animal proteins that we replaced with plant-based options, while others are a concentrated effort of trial and error. But all are intended to be altered by you and made to suit your tastes. So if you want more garlic or none at all, go for it. You do you ; ) Now for the serious part … periodically this site does offer health, nutrition and exercise information. The information provided is not intended as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice given by a licensed physician or other health-care professional. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, consult your physician and never delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.