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Let me explain: the best baked eggs are made without baking. When testing these recipes, I found that simply adding a lid produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, yielding tender soft-cooked egg featuring set whites and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature in conventional ovens acts stronger versus moist heat, often leading to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. One is a super-simple turmeric coconut curry, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or simply put, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, trimmed and minced
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
Fresh basil, plus extra to serve
Fresh eggs
Fresh chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, sauté for several minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, mixing now and then briefly, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg lightly salted, place a lid on the pan, gently heat briefly, when whites are cooked with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, finish with a few extra basil leaves plus chili slices, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cooking time Under an hour
Serves 2

Olive oil
Spicy lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Tomato base
Seasoning
4 eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
Fresh lemon, wedge-cut, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, peel sausages and break off pieces into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, cook until golden, releasing flavorful oils. Move sausage pieces as they cook, to brown evenly.

Once browned, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium sauté while stirring, briefly, when fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Pour in tomato contents, add seasoning heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and leave to blip away for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil to create four little pockets within sauce, add eggs individually. Dust with salt lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to three minutes gently, when eggs set and the yolks just warm.

Take off the heat, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.