Food & Drink

Chefs mix up the Scotch egg, just in time for Easter

A hard-boiled egg encased in pork sausage that’s then breaded and baked or fried, the traditional Scotch egg is typically known more for its hearty, gut-bomb qualities than tongue-tingling refinement and culinary creativity.

But chefs around town are taking the British bar snack in new directions, just in time for Easter, using unexpected ingredients and techniques to make uniquely flavorful Scotch eggs. Have a bite:

The classic

East Pole’s variation of the Scotch egg.Handout

The Scotch egg at uptown farm-to-table hot spot the East Pole (133 E. 65th St., 212-249-2222) is fairly traditional, but the focus on the egg’s sourcing isn’t. Head chef Nicholas Wilber takes pains to get especially flavorful, organic, pastured eggs from a small family farm in the Adirondacks. “Where others focus on the sausage,” he says, “we want the egg to shine through.”

The egg ($10) is cooked just six minutes, rather than hard-boiled, and the sausage layer is just thick enough so that the meat cooks through while allowing the egg yolk to remain runny. “It’s got to be just the right amount of sausage,” says Wilber. “It’s a great little starter.”

The avant-garde

Alder’s variation of the Scotch egg.Gabi Porter

At Wylie Dufresne’s Alder (157 Second Ave., 212-539-1900), the Scotch quail eggs ($15) bear little resemblance to the British original. The tiny eggs are hard-boiled and coated in ricotta to add bulk, then covered in Andouille sausage and panko bread crumbs and deep-fried. Each egg is topped with a quail-yolk custard — “to give it an extra eggy feeling,” explains executive chef Jon Bignelli. To counteract the richness, Bignelli adds a smear of watercress pesto and a vinegar-and-onion marmalade to the plate. “You need something to cut it,” he says.

The Italian

Sotto’s variation of the Scotch egg.Gabi Porter

Chef Ed Cotton has long been a fan of Scotch eggs — “the crunchy exterior of the meat . . . that ooey-gooey runny egg yolk,” he enthuses — so when he started working at Sotto 13 (140 W. 13th St., 212-647-1001) earlier this year, he added a Scotch egg ($12) with continental flair to the brunch menu. The homemade spicy fennel sausage is more “Mamma Mia” than “Queen Mother” — and the egg is served on a bed of arugula, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. “We are an Italian restaurant,” Cotton says, “so it’s a slight Italian twist.”

The deviled twist

Colonia Verde’s variation of the Scotch egg.Zandy Mangold

At the new Fort Greene South American restaurant Colonia Verde (219 Dekalb Ave., 347-689-4287), El Diablo Escoces ($11) is both a Scotch egg and a deviled egg. The egg is boiled, encased in sausage, fried and split open; the yolk is then removed and whipped with corn, mayonnaise, chili powder and cotija cheese to simulate the Mexican street food esquites. Finally, it’s piped back into the egg. “The esquites bring a spicy, sweet flavor to it all,” says chef de cuisine Carolina Santos-Neves. “All the flavors come together really nicely.”

The biggie

Zeppelin Hall’s variation of the Scotch egg.Astrid Stawiarz

Because a traditional Scotch egg isn’t rich enough, New Jersey biergarten Zeppelin Hall (88 Liberty View Dr., Jersey City, 201-721-8888) ups the antacid potential with a Scottish duck egg ($6.95). “The duck’s eggs are way bigger, dense and have more flavor than chicken eggs,” explains executive chef Franco Robazetti. It’s not only encased in sausage but also bacon. “We do things over the top here,” Robazetti adds.

Bloody good

The Peacock and The Shakespeare’s variation of the Scotch egg.Gabi Porter

At the William Hotel’s new British pub and restaurant, The Peacock and The Shakespeare (24 E. 39th St., 646-837-6776), chef Robert Aikens adds depth to his warm Scotch egg ($9) by seasoning the sausage with the herbs and spices — smoked paprika, cayenne, sage and thyme — typically used in Irish black pudding (blood sausage) instead of just plain salt and pepper. There’s also a touch of black pudding added to the mix, but more timid eaters needn’t worry. “It’s very subtle,” says Aikens. “It just elevates the seasoning all around.”