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Consider this: the best baked eggs are made without baking. When testing these recipes, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked delicately prepared egg with a tender white and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven acts stronger compared to steaming, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. Option one involves a straightforward turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on traditional spicy eggs, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Steamed Eggs (pictured above)

Prep 10 min
Cook 55 minutes
Serves Two servings

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, skinned and diced
Sea salt
Two garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
Golden spice
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Aromatic leaves
200ml coconut milk
Canned chickpeas
Basil leaves, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Green chilies, finely sliced, for serving

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Pour in some oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk along with chickpeas and liquid. Heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, let it simmer for half an hour, until thickened and deep yellow in colour. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

Employ a utensil forming small wells within the sauce, add eggs individually. Dust each egg with salt, cover the skillet, simmer over low heat briefly, when whites are cooked and yolks warmed. Take off the heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and thinly sliced finger chillies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Baked Eggs

Preparation 10 min
Cooking time Under an hour
Yields 2

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
Harissa paste
Cumin seeds
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Salt
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Chopped herbs, finely chopped
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Use a heavy pan at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil once hot, take off sausage casings and pinch small amounts into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan while cooking, for even browning.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic to the pan, turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for three to four minutes, when fragrant, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Add tomatoes, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Lower to gentle simmer and leave to blip away for 20 minutes. Ragu thickens, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations within sauce, add eggs individually. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, when eggs set and the yolks just warm.

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