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Let me explain: the best baked eggs are made without baking. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked perfectly poached egg featuring set whites and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven is much more aggressive versus moist heat, often leading to dehydrate ingredients resulting in firm yolks. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, but get creative. One is a super-simple golden coconut sauce, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on classic tomato-baked eggs, or simply put, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cook Just under an hour
Yields Two people

Olive oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
Golden spice
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
200ml coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
A few basil leaves, plus extra to serve
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, thinly cut, to serve

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Incorporate aromatics and spices, allow to cook, mixing now and then for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, reduce to a simmer, let it simmer about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets across the base, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, gently heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Take off the heat, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cook Under an hour
Yields Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Seasoning
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, roughly chopped
Chopped herbs, finely chopped
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Add two tablespoons of olive oil once hot, remove the skins from the sausages and pinch small amounts adding to pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Turn down the heat, brown the meat slowly, releasing flavorful oils. Stir merguez during cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic into the skillet, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, briefly, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, add seasoning let it bubble. Turn down the heat to low and simmer slowly about 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, thicken and deepen in colour, as oils separate.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within sauce, break eggs in. Season eggs with salt, place lid on pan. Simmer briefly over a low heat, until the whites are set and yolks warmed.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and a drizzle of oil, with lemon on side.