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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. During recipe development, I found that simply adding a lid produces a humid atmosphere that gently cooks the eggs, yielding tender soft-cooked egg featuring set whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher than steam, and has a tendency to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as inspiration, but get creative. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, and the second offers a merguez ragu puts a twist on classic tomato-baked eggs, or simply put, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Serves Two people

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Aromatic leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Fresh basil, and additional for topping
4 eggs
Fresh chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, mixing now and then for a few minutes, then tip in the coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Let it bubble, reduce to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, when sauce is rich and yellow. Add salt to taste, mix in fresh basil.

With a spoon’s back forming small wells within the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust each egg lightly salted, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat briefly, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cooking time 45 minutes
Yields Two portions

Olive oil
Spicy lamb sausages
Spicy paste
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Tomato base
Seasoning
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Add two tablespoons of olive oil when heated, peel sausages forming small bits into the skillet, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces while cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium sauté while stirring, briefly, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Add tomatoes, salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, as oils separate.

Use the back of a spoon forming wells in the sauce, break eggs in. Season eggs with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and oil splash, with lemon on side.