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Consider this: the best baked eggs are made without baking. When testing these recipes, realizing that using a cover generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites and a warm, runny yolk. The intense, dry heat from baking acts stronger versus moist heat, and has a tendency making dishes dry and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple coconut turmeric blend, while the merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, or simply put, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 55 min
Serves Two servings

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
Golden spice
Cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
4 eggs
2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, as garnish

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, toss in the onion and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally briefly, add coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, allow to cook slowly for 30-35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil making four indentations across the base, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, and serve.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time Under an hour
Serves Two portions

Oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, minced
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Heat a skillet over medium flame. Drizzle olive oil and, once it’s warm, remove the skins from the sausages and pinch small amounts adding to pan, like mini balls. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan as they cook, for even browning.

Once browned, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pot, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring, briefly, until aromatic, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt heat to simmer. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, become richer and darker, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, cover skillet. Simmer briefly on low flame, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Turn off stove, top with pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, plus oil drizzle, with lemon on side.