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Consider this: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. When testing these recipes, discovering that covering the pan generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg with a tender white and flowing center. The intense, dry heat of the oven acts stronger versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dehydrate ingredients resulting in firm yolks. Here are two sauce options as a jumping-off point, but get creative. The first features an easy coconut turmeric blend, whereas the spicy sausage sauce puts a twist on traditional spicy eggs, or simply put, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 min
Cooking time 55 min
Serves Two people

Olive oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, and additional for topping
4 eggs
Fresh chilies, julienned, for serving

Use a heavy skillet at moderate-high temperature. Pour in some oil, incorporate onions and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Incorporate aromatics and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for 30-35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

Employ a utensil to create four little pockets in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, until the whites are set and yolks warmed. Remove from heat, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cook Under an hour
Serves 2

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Seasoning
4 eggs
Pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Chopped herbs, diced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Pour in oil once hot, take off sausage casings forming small bits adding to pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Reduce heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Stir merguez as they cook, so they colour on all sides.

Once browned, mix in spices and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly for twenty minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, with oils separating and surfacing.

With a spoon to create four little pockets within sauce, break eggs in. Sprinkle the top of each egg with salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes over a low heat, until the whites are set with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and oil splash, accompanied by lemon.