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Consider this: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover generates steam to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg with firm whites and a warm, runny yolk. The intense, dry heat of the oven proves harsher than steam, and has a tendency to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, but get creative. The first features an easy turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or simply put, spicy tomato eggs.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 55 minutes
Yields Two people

Olive oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Salt
Two garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
Golden spice
Toasted cumin
6-8 curry leaves
Coconut milk
400g tin chickpeas
A few basil leaves, plus extra to serve
4 eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, add coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil making four indentations within the sauce, break eggs into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, cover the skillet, gently heat for a few minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm. Remove from heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and sliced chilies, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Yields 2

Oil
Spicy lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
1 handful pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan on a medium heat. Pour in oil and, once it’s warm, peel sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Move sausage pieces during cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium fry with mixing, briefly, when fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Add tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Reduce to low heat cooking gently about 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil making indentations in the sauce, break eggs in. Season eggs with salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes over a low heat, until the whites are set with yolks runny.

Take off the heat, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.