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Let me explain: the most delicious egg dishes never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere that gently cooks the eggs, resulting in perfectly cooked delicately prepared egg with a tender white plus liquid yolk. Direct oven heat in conventional ovens proves harsher compared to steaming, and has a tendency to dry everything out and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options as a jumping-off point, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, whereas the spicy sausage sauce is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or simply put, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 min
Cooking time 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
Golden spice
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Use a heavy skillet on a medium-high heat. Add a shot of olive oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, sauté for several minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, let them sizzle, occasionally stirring briefly, pour in creamy liquid and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Heat until boiling, lower heat to gentle cook, allow to cook slowly for 30-35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with salt, then cover the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 minutes
Yields 2

Oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
1 tsp cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, sliced thin
Tomato base
Fine sea salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, sliced into wedges, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Drizzle olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings forming small bits adding to pan, like mini balls. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Move sausage pieces during cooking, to brown evenly.

After browning, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pot, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for several minutes, when fragrant, and garlic softens. Add tomatoes, salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Lower to gentle simmer cooking gently for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, thicken and deepen in colour, as oils separate.

Employ utensil forming wells in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes on low flame, when eggs set and yolks warmed.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, plus oil drizzle, with lemon on side.