Scotch Potato Falafel

Things enveloped in things, enveloped in things... ad infinitum has been quite a tradition with the royalty around the world and through the ages.

Scotch eggs come about in my kitchen on and off, especially since the kids and the other half like it with pasta and sauce. The usual Scotch egg I make for them is fairly standard, with only the flavoring customized.

While I am not a big meat fan, I don't mind occasional turkey or chicken, maybe salmon or halibut, that's about it. No red meat, no other exotic meats. 

So, to satisfy my tastes, I make Scotch eggs my way: instead of ground turkey, I use falafel batter for the outer coating. And, sometimes, I substitute the boiled egg with par-cooked largish new baby potato. That, in short, is the Falafel Scotch Potato/Egg. 

Turkey Enveloped Scotch Egg

Ingredients
For the coating layer:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
1 tsp Shawarma spice mix
1 tsp Cajun spice mix
1 tsp celery seeds
½ tsp ground oregano
1 tsp demerara sugar

1 Tbsp oil

5 boiled eggs, peeled

Preparation

1. Combine the ingredients for the coating layer and mix well
2. Rub some oil in the palms and flatten a ball of meat mixture
3. Envelop the eggs with this seasoned meat mixture coating 
4. Bake in a 425°F oven for about 20 minutes; I prefer it well done rather than underdone so, I turn off the heat and leave it in the oven for an extra 5 minutes
5. Serve warm with salad or vegetable sides like green beans and peas and potatoes; my kids prefer it with pasta and sauce, or pasta salad with veggies

Falafel Scotch Potato

I try to keep the falafel batter envelop layer fairly thin for quick cooking; if the consistency of the batter is not just right, the outer layer will crumble easily. It has happened to me quite a few times - adding flour and baking powder per Bittman's recipe seems to work consistently well, especially if the batter is fairly thick to be able to shape.

Incidentally, veggie balls dipped in chickpea flour batter, called Bonda, is a favorite tea time snack in India. Any filling can be used, but, typically it is mashed potatoes, carrots, peas and onions. I remember "Egg Bonda" that a neighbor aunty used to make and share with me. Bonda is fried in oil. In that sense, this falafel wrapped baked eggs is much like the Egg Bonda from my younger days, only not as much oil involved.

Ingredients

1 to 1½ cups any standard falafel batter - I use soaked chickpeas ground, with added flavors like garlic, tomato paste, salt and cayenne pepper powder; Mark Bittman's recipe works well

a few par-cooked new baby potatoes 

a couple of boiled eggs

a tablespoon or so of oil

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
2. Envelop the boiled eggs and par-cooked potatoes with the falafel batter
3. Bake in the 375°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes turning it around, and turning the pan around as needed, depending on your oven
4. Remove from heat, allow to rest before cutting open to serve