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Consider this: the most delicious egg dishes are made without baking. When testing these recipes, 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 flowing center. The intense, dry heat of the oven acts stronger than steam, and has a tendency to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as a jumping-off point, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple coconut turmeric blend, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time Just under an hour
Yields Two servings

Olive oil
One medium onion, trimmed and minced
Salt
Two garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
6-8 curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
4 eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Heat a cast-iron pan at moderate-high temperature. Pour in some oil, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, fry until softened. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, occasionally stirring briefly, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, then stir in the basil leaves.

Use the back of a spoon forming small wells within the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust each egg with a little salt, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat for a few minutes, when whites are cooked with yolks still runny. Remove from heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 min
Cook Under an hour
Serves 2

Olive oil
Spicy lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Seasoning
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, diced
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, wedge-cut, as garnish

Use a heavy pan over medium flame. Drizzle olive oil when heated, remove the skins from the sausages and pinch small amounts adding to pan, almost like little meatballs. Lower temperature, cook until golden, releasing flavorful oils. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame and cook, stirring, for three to four minutes, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, season with salt heat to simmer. Turn down the heat to low cooking gently about 20 minutes. The ragu will reduce, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

With a spoon forming wells in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust with salt lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid. Heat for minutes over a low heat, until the whites are set with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, and oil splash, with lemon on side.