Beer & Food Pairing: Scotch Eggs & Scottish Ale
Scotch eggs are a favorite bar snack in the UK and are experiencing their own craft revolution. I've never tried Scotch eggs before, mainly because of the sausage (duh), but in looking through the recipes I found, I’m excited to try more variations. There are even dessert Scotch eggs!
For this pairing, I made two different Scotch eggs: a vegetarian version and a vegan version. The vegetarian version had Beyond Meat Beyond Hot Italian Sausage. I had never had Beyond sausage before and was surprised by how easy it was to work with. As a bonus, my husband (a carnivore) enjoyed the sausage so much that he’s started buying it in place of real sausage! Otherwise, the recipe was pretty classic - hard-boiled egg, (veggie) sausage, and crushed corn flakes all rolled together and deep fried.
The vegan Scotch egg was a little more complicated and involved making a “meat crust” of mashed kidney beans and flax meal, as well as molding rice into an egg shape. The yolk was made of mashed potatoes and curry powder. Rather than frying the vegan egg, the recipe called for baking it, which made it somewhat dry. If I made a vegan Scotch egg again, I would probably try out a different recipe. Although I obviously support the vegan lifestyle, this recipe seemed a little tortured and didn’t represent a Scotch egg very well. It was more like a Nailed It interpretation of a Scotch egg.
The Belhaven Scottish Ale paired perfectly with the vegetarian version. The caramel maltiness tempered the heat from the spicy Italian Beyond sausage as well as highlighted the Maillard flavors from the deep frying. The herbal and earthy hop flavors highlighted the beer horseradish mustard I paired with the Scotch eggs.
