Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

　　1 1/4 pounds bulk country-style or herbed sausage

　　1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

　　1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne

　　4 hard-boiled large eggs

　　1/2 cup all-purpose flour

　　2 raw large eggs, beaten lightly

　　1 cup fresh bread crumbs

　　vegetable oil for deep-frying the eggs

　　In a large bowl combine well the sausage, the sage, the thyme, and the cayenne, divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, and flatten each portion into a thin round. Enclose each hard-boiled egg completely in 1 of the sausage rounds, patting the sausage into place. Dredge the sausage-coated eggs in the flour, shaking off the excess, dip them in the raw eggs, letting the excess drip off, and roll them gently in the bread crumbs, coating them well. In a deep fryer heat 2 1/2 inches of the oil to 350°F. and in it fry the Scotch eggs, 2 at a time, turning them and transferring them to paper towels to drain with a slotted spoon as they are done, for 10 minutes.