Maple Pecan Scotch Eggs

Another maple pecan recipe?  Yep! Tis the season!  Maple and pecans go so well together, especially in savory dishes.  I always make my husband a special breakfast for his birthday each year.  He had always wanted to try scotch eggs so I thought it was about time I made them for him.  Scotch eggs are hard-boiled eggs covered in sausage; traditionally coated in breadcrumbs.  I found a recipe for scotch eggs with a maple walnut coating instead of the breadcrumbs, and I knew my husband would absolutely love that.  He has quite the sweet tooth.  I got the recipe from Foodista and changed it just slightly.  Here's my version.

Maple Pecan Scotch Eggs

Plastic wrap is the key to making symmetrical, well-rounded scotch eggs. The sausage easily molds around the egg without sticking to your hands in the process.

Ingredients:

6 eggs

24 oz. ground pork sausage

¼ cup pure maple syrup, divided

¼ cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and set timer for 12 minutes.  When the timer goes off, remove eggs and run them under cold water for several minutes until they cool down.  Peel.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using your hands, combine the pork and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Once brought together, divide into six even portions.  Lay a sheet of plastic wrap down on your work surface. Spread one portion of the sausage out into a circle in the center of the plastic wrap and place your hard-boiled egg on the sausage patty.  Lifting up from under the plastic wrap, gently mold the sausage around the egg and seal completely.  Place each egg onto a baking sheet.  Once they are all rolled up, brush with remaining maple syrup and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.  

Bake for 40-45 minutes. When done, the outside should be a deep brown and the sausage nicely cooked through without being overcooked.  Serve warm.

Makes 6 servings.

Aren't they gorgeous?  They turned out perfectly.  The eggs were perfectly cooked, the sausage was nicely browned, the maple syrup added just a touch of sweetness, and the pecans were wonderfully toasted.

The original recipe called for walnuts, but we like pecans better so I used those.  It also called for mixing some of the pecans in with the sausage, but I didn't do that.  I just put them on top.

 The plastic wrap method worked out perfectly.  Here are a few pics of the process.

 Place a blob of the sausage on the plastic wrap.  

 Nestle a hard-boiled egg onto it.

 Then use the plastic wrap to squish the sausage all around the egg.

 The plastic wrap makes it easy to make sure the sausage covers the egg evenly.

 Perfecto!

 I used a stoneware baking sheet.  (If you don't have one, get one!)

Aren't they just beautiful?  I was so impressed with how perfectly they turned out, considering how incredibly easy they were to make.  My husband absolutely loved them.  

So if you want to make a special breakfast treat for someone, try these out.