Nigella Lawson became an air fryer fan after trying this simple recipe
Nigella Lawson has shared a simple recipe that she loves and you can make it in the air fryer
Air fryers may be used every day by some households, while others remain somewhat sceptical of their use and their claims that they will speed up cooking. One former sceptic is celebrity chef and all-round national treasure, Nigella Lawson.
However, back in 2023, Nigella's mind was changed when she opened up The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook by Poppy O'Toole. Describing herself as a "longtime doubting hold-out" on the air fryer front, Nigella says that this recipe book certainly altered her point of view. Taking to her website, she wrote: "I’m glad to say I am now a convert!
"I don’t know that I’ll ever be someone who wants to cook everything in an air fryer, but this book has banished my fear, eradicated my doubts, and led me to discover how to use the air fryer in a way that suits me, for which I am very grateful."
The first recipe in the book that caught Nigella's eye was a delicious scotch egg recipe, which she says gave her the "determination and courage to continue" using the air fryer.
Introducing the recipe in the book itself, Poppy wrote: "This is a throwback to one of the first dishes I made in my first ever kitchen job. Shoutout to the Scotch eggs of The Queen’s Head Inn, Bromsgrove, that I’d make time and time again back in 2011. I wish we’d had an air fryer to speed up the process for equally delicious results."
Homemade Scotch Egg
Ingredients (Makes four)
- Four whole eggs, at room temperature
- Two beaten eggs
- 500g of sausage meat
- 1/2 a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
- 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder
- Two tablespoons of plain flour
- 200g of panko breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Heat the air fryer to fryer to 130℃/270℉. Then, put the four whole eggs in the air fryer basket and cook for 11 minutes, just enough time to soft-boil them. While the eggs cook, prepare a bowl of ice-cold water.
Once the eggs have finished cooking, transfer them to the icy water and leave to cool for about five minutes. Once they have cooled, peel the eggs and set them aside.
In a bowl, mix together the sausagemeat, dried herbs and garlic powder with your hands until it reaches a paste-like consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Use some kitchen roll to dry the peeled eggs. Get three bowls together, season the flour and tip into one bowl. Add the beaten eggs to the second, and the breadcrumbs to the third.
Take one quarter of the sausage mixture and roll it around one of the boiled eggs, aiming for it to be as even as possible. Repeat with each of the eggs until they are all covered with the sausage meat.
Heat the air fryer to 180°C/350°F. Dip the wrapped eggs first in flour (dusting off any excess), then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs to coat fully. Place in the air fryer basket and cook for 12 minutes, until the sausage is cooked and the coating is fully golden.
