Davidstow 12 Month Mature cheddar Scotch ‘egg’

If you’re looking for something with an edge on the classic Scotch egg recipe then why not try this Davidstow 12 Month Mature cheddar Scotch ‘egg’, which combines good-quality sausage meat with a pearl barley and a cheddar cheese centre. ‘These Scotch eggs take on a classic picnic staple, giving them the perfect edge to make any road trip down the wildly beautiful Cornish coast a memorable one,’ says chef Lee Westcott.

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the pearl barley centres:

• 80g pearl barley
• 1 white of a leek, sliced thinly
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 pinch curry powder
• 200g cooked pearl barley from above recipe
• 30g Davidstow® 12 Month Mature cheddar, finely grated
• 30g chopped chives
• 20g chopped dill
• 500g sausage meat
• 20g chopped thyme
• Salt and pepper

For the bread crumbs:

• 2 whole eggs, mixed well with a whisk
• 100g plain flour
• 150g panko breadcrumbs

Method

Preheat a deep fat fryer to 160°C.

For the pearl barley centres, wash and cook the pearl barley in 1 ½ litres of water until soft and sticky. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Set aside 200g of this cooked pearl barley to use later.

Sweat the sliced leek with garlic and curry powder until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Mix the, set aside, 200g pearl barley and the leeks into a bowl. Add the Davidstow 12 Month Mature cheddar, chives and dill. Season to taste using salt and pepper.

Mix well and weigh out into 30g individual balls. Place these into the freezer to firm up well.

Mix the sausage meat with the thyme and seasoning.

To assemble the Scotch egg, wrap by spreading cling film out on your kitchen surface, then press the sausage meat out flat on top of the cling film, add the frozen barley ball into the centre of the meat and carefully wrap the sausage meat around the barley mix until coated evenly. Each ball requires approximately 60g sausage meat and 30g frozen barley balls

Now coat these balls in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip these into the egg mixture, removing carefully with a fork shaking off any of the excess egg mixture. Now roll these in the panko breadcrumbs, ensuring they are coated well.

Fry these in the deep fat fryer for four to five minutes or until golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and finish with a sprinkle of fine salt.

Recipe courtesy of Lee Westcott for Davidstow