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Let me explain: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked soft-cooked egg featuring set whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat in conventional ovens proves harsher versus moist heat, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options as a jumping-off point, but get creative. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu reimagines classic tomato-baked eggs, essentially, spicy tomato eggs.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 min
Serves Two people

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, minced ginger
Golden spice
Toasted cumin
6-8 curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
Fresh basil, with more for garnish
Four eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion seasoned with salt, sauté for several minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, occasionally stirring for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, let it simmer for half an hour, until thick and golden. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

With a spoon’s back forming small wells across the base, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, and cook on a low heat for two to three minutes, until egg whites firm with yolks still runny. Take off the heat, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cook 45 minutes
Yields 2

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Fresh eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, diced
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Pour in oil and, once it’s warm, take off sausage casings forming small bits into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Turn down the heat, cook until golden, extracting spicy fats. Move sausage pieces as they cook, for even browning.

Once browned, mix in spices and garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Pour in tomato contents, add seasoning heat to simmer. Reduce to low heat and simmer slowly for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

With a spoon to create four little pockets in the sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with a little salt, place lid on pan. Heat for minutes gently, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Remove from heat, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, plus oil drizzle, and serve with lemon wedges.