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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs don’t ever hit the oven. Through culinary experiments, I found that simply adding a lid produces a humid atmosphere that gently cooks the eggs, yielding tender soft-cooked egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. The intense, dry heat in conventional ovens is much more aggressive versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. Option one involves a straightforward golden coconut sauce, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or simply put, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (featured)

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 55 min
Yields Two people

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Cumin seeds
6-8 curry leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
4 eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, for serving

Heat a cast-iron pan on a medium-high heat. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, allow to cook, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, add coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for 30-35 minutes, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

With a spoon’s back forming small wells within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, until the whites are set with yolks still runny. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 minutes
Yields Two

Oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
4 eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, diced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil when heated, take off sausage casings and break off pieces of the meat into the pan, resembling tiny meatballs. Reduce heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Move sausage pieces during cooking, so they colour on all sides.

Once browned, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic into the skillet, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt heat to simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, intensify in color, with oils separating and surfacing.

Employ utensil to create four little pockets in the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust with salt with a little salt, cover skillet. Heat for minutes gently, when eggs set and the yolks just warm.

Turn off stove, top with pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and a drizzle of oil, accompanied by lemon.