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Let me explain: the best baked eggs never require an oven. Through culinary experiments, discovering that covering the pan creates a steamy environment for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked soft-cooked egg featuring set whites and a warm, runny yolk. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven is much more aggressive than steam, typically causing to dehydrate ingredients and overcook the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. One is a super-simple turmeric coconut curry, while the merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, essentially, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (pictured above)

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time Just under an hour
Yields 2

Olive oil
One medium onion, trimmed and minced
Salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
10g fresh ginger, grated ginger
Turmeric powder
Toasted cumin
Aromatic leaves
200ml coconut milk
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. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds and curry leaves, allow to cook, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, add coconut milk and the chickpeas and their tin liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, when sauce is rich and yellow. Add salt to taste, incorporate basil.

Employ a utensil to create four little pockets in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with a little salt, cover the skillet, gently heat for a few minutes, until egg whites firm and the yolks just warm. Take off the heat, garnish with more basil and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers Baked Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Yields Two portions

Olive oil
2 merguez-style lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Canned tomatoes
Fine sea salt
4 eggs
Tangy peppers, roughly chopped
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
Greek yogurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Heat a skillet at moderate temperature. Drizzle olive oil once hot, peel sausages forming small bits of the meat into the pan, like mini balls. Lower temperature, brown the meat slowly, 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 into the skillet, adjust to moderate flame sauté while stirring, briefly, when fragrant, with garlic cooked. Tip in the tomatoes, add seasoning heat to simmer. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away for twenty minutes. The ragu will reduce, thicken and deepen in colour, as oils separate.

With a spoon forming wells in the sauce, break eggs in. Dust with salt with salt, cover skillet. Cook for two to three minutes on low flame, until the whites are set and the yolks just warm.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, and serve with lemon wedges.