Modern Scottish Food and Recipes: Hale and Hearty All Day Scottish Breakfast

One representation of an all day Scottish fried breakfast

I've made reference to the full Scottish breakfast on this blog before and based a couple of dishes on the concept, including the Breakfast Sandwich Megabite I featured only last month. What I only realised a few days ago, however, was that I hadn't yet featured an example of how to prepare the breakfast itself and so I've decided to put that right.

There is no recipe as such for a full Scottish breakfast, as just about everything ever used in its preparation is optional. Generally, however, sausage, bacon and egg will be served. As well as what I have included in this instance, you could add mushrooms, baked beans in tomato sauce, fried bread (instead of the tattie scones) or even choose to cook the egg in a different way. As the title of this post suggests, this is a meal which can be eaten at any time of day, not just breakfast time - and if you're anything like me, you'll probably enjoy it more later on in the day.

Meat componenets of an all day Scottish breakfast

Ingredients per Person

1 sliced (Lorne/square) sausage
2 beef link sausages
1 slice black pudding
2 slices Ayrshire middle bacon
2 tattie scones
1 medium tomato
Half small onion, peeled and sliced
1 large egg
Vegetable oil for frying
HP Sauce to serve (optional)

Frying sausages and black pudding

Directions

One of the biggest drawbacks of making a full fried breakfast of any type - especially when making it for several people! - is that you are likely to need several frying pans as well as perhaps your grill (broiler). The way I get round this problem (and most importantly, save on washing up) is by cooking the ingredients in logical turn and keeping them warm in a low oven. For this reason, the first step is to put an appropriate dish in to your oven and get it preheating to the minimum setting.

Sausages and black pudding are transferred to heated dish and oven to keep warm

Pour some vegetable oil in to a large frying pan and add the link sausages only. Do not prick the sausages as cooking them at a low temperature will prevent them bursting. Put the pan on to the lowest possible heat and leave to cook for ten minutes, turning the sausages occasionally. After ten minutes, add the sliced sausage and black pudding to the pan to fry for five minutes each side, making a total of twenty minutes cooking for the links.

Remove the warmed dish from your oven while wearing oven gloves and lift the sausages and black pudding in to it with a spatula. Return to the oven.

Ayrshire middle bacon is fried in same pan as sausages and black pudding

The Ayrshire middle bacon can now be fried in the vacated pan for a couple of minutes each side on a medium heat, or until done as you like it.

Tattie scones, tomato and onion

While the bacon is frying, slice the tomato in half and peel and slice the onion. Remove the bacon from the pan to the oven dish with the sausages and black pudding.

Fried bacon is added to warmed dish with sausages and black pudding

Put the tomato halves in to the same pan again, cut sides down. Add the onion slices and the tattie scones. Fry for four or five minutes, turning the tattie scones half way through cooking.

Tattie scones, tomato and onion are fried in bacon juices

When the tattie scones and veg are in the pan, break the egg in to a small bowl or cup. This makes it much easier to add to the frying pan.

Egg ready to be gently poured in to frying pan

Wipe a small, non-stick frying pan with a little oil only using kitchen paper. Bring it up to a fairly high heat before carefully pouring in the egg. After twenty to thirty seconds - when the egg can be seen to be holding its shape - reduce the heat to low to medium. Fry the egg for three or four minutes until the white is set all the way around the yolk. This shows it is perfectly ready sunny side up.