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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment that gently cooks the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg with a tender white and a warm, runny yolk. Direct oven heat from baking acts stronger than steam, and has a tendency making dishes dry resulting in firm yolks. Presenting two flavorful bases as inspiration, encouraging customization. The first features an easy golden coconut sauce, while the merguez ragu is a riff on classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Prep 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Yields Two people

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, trimmed and minced
Salt
Two garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Golden spice
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
Basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
2 green finger chillies, thinly cut, as garnish

Use a heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, incorporate onions seasoned with salt, fry until softened. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally briefly, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Let it bubble, then turn down to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, incorporate basil.

With a spoon’s back making four indentations in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid, and cook on a low heat briefly, when whites are cooked and yolks warmed. Take off the heat, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, and serve.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cook 45 minutes
Serves Two

Oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil once hot, peel sausages forming small bits adding to pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Move sausage pieces as they cook, to brown evenly.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt let it bubble. Reduce to low heat cooking gently for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, thicken and deepen in colour, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon forming wells in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust with salt with a little salt, cover skillet. Simmer briefly on low flame, until whites firm with yolks runny.

Take off the heat, top with pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, plus oil drizzle, accompanied by lemon.