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Consider this: the best baked eggs never require an oven. When testing these recipes, realizing that using a cover creates a steamy environment for cooking the egg tops, resulting in perfectly cooked soft-cooked egg with firm whites plus liquid yolk. Direct oven heat from baking is much more aggressive than steam, often leading to dry everything out and harden the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as inspiration, encouraging customization. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on classic tomato-baked eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time 55 min
Serves Two people

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Fine sea salt
Two garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Canned chickpeas
Basil leaves, plus extra to serve
4 eggs
Green chilies, thinly cut, to serve

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, toss in the onion with some salt, sauté for several minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, add coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, allow to cook slowly about 35 minutes, when sauce is rich and yellow. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon making four indentations across the base, then crack an egg into each. Season eggs with salt, cover the skillet, gently heat for two to three minutes, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Take off the heat, top with fresh herbs plus chili slices, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep Quick prep
Cooking time 45 min
Yields Two portions

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, minced garlic
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, diced
Chopped herbs, diced
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot on a medium heat. Pour in oil once hot, peel sausages forming small bits into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces during cooking, so they colour on all sides.

Once browned, incorporate harissa, cumin, and garlic to the pan, adjust to moderate flame and cook, stirring, for several minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, and garlic softens. Pour in tomato contents, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away for twenty minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, as oils separate.

With a spoon to create four little pockets within sauce, add eggs individually. Dust with salt with salt, then cover the pan with a lid. Simmer briefly over a low heat, until whites firm and yolks warmed.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and oil splash, and serve with lemon wedges.