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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, realizing that using a cover produces a humid atmosphere to cook the top of the eggs, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg with firm whites and a warm, runny yolk. The harsh, arid temperature from baking proves harsher versus moist heat, and has a tendency to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. I’ve given you two sauces as inspiration, though feel free to experiment. The first features an easy golden coconut sauce, and the second offers a merguez ragu is a riff on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Steamed Eggs (featured)

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 55 min
Yields Two people

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Fresh ginger root, grated ginger
Turmeric powder
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
400g tin chickpeas
Fresh basil, with more for garnish
Fresh eggs
Fresh chilies, julienned, as garnish

Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high flame. Add a shot of olive oil, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Mix in garlic, ginger, and spices, leave to sizzle, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes, then tip in the coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, and leave it to tick over for half an hour, when sauce is rich and yellow. Season with salt, mix in fresh basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets across the base, then crack an egg into each. Sprinkle the top of each egg with salt, then cover the pan with a lid, gently heat briefly, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Turn off stove, top with fresh herbs and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce and Pickled Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 min
Serves Two

Olive oil
Merguez sausages
Harissa paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Seasoning
Four eggs
Tangy peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, diced
Creamy yogurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, for serving

Heat a skillet on a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil when heated, peel sausages forming small bits into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Lower temperature, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, releasing flavorful oils. Stir merguez as they cook, for even browning.

When golden, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, increase to medium heat fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, until the mix smells fragrant, with garlic cooked. Add tomatoes, add seasoning let it bubble. Reduce to low heat and leave to blip away about 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, intensify in color, while the oils split and rise to the top.

With a spoon to create four little pockets across base, break eggs in. Season eggs lightly salted, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to three minutes gently, until the whites are set with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, garnish with peppers, parsley and yogurt, and oil splash, accompanied by lemon.