Boil

Soft-Boiled Eggs, Sage Aioli & Fried Sage

by:
June  5, 2021
5
6 Ratings
Soft-Boiled Eggs, Sage Aioli & Fried Sage
Photo by Mark Weinberg. Prop Stylist: Ali Slagle. Food Stylist: Sam Seneviratne.
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

I always have too much sage in the garden. Sage, though Mediterranean in origin, is one of the most commonly used herbs in Britain—Elizabeth called it, rather dismissively, “that very English herb.” She didn’t like it much, but I do. This earthy herb doesn’t go with everything, but it’s great with pork and poultry, and crunchy fried sage leaves are one of my favorite things in the world. Just to double up on the flavor, I make some mayonnaise with sage oil, too. A note on eggs: Fresh eggs are incredibly delicious, but they will drive you nuts if you try to peel them after boiling; this recipe will work best with eggs that have been out in the world for a few days.

Excerpted with permission from Getaway: Food & Drink to Transport You by Renee Erickson (Harry N. Abrams 2021).

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to. —Renee Erickson

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Soft-Boiled Eggs, Sage Aioli & Fried Sage
Ingredients
  • Soft-Boiled Eggs, Sage Aioli & Fried Sage
  • 3 large egg yolks, plus 8 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 batch Sage Oil (below)
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) grapeseed oil
  • 16 to 20 sage leaves
  • Crunchy sea salt, to finish
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, to garnish
  • Sage Oil
  • 1/2 cup (9 grams) sage leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups (350 milliliters) grapeseed oil
Directions
  1. Soft-Boiled Eggs, Sage Aioli & Fried Sage
  2. In a quart (liter) container or a preserving jar, blend the egg yolks and lemon juice with an immersion blender. Slowly drizzle in the sage oil, pulling the hand blender up and down slowly through the jar to emulsify. Season with salt and, if desired, use a tablespoon or two of water to thin the aioli.
  3. Have ready a medium bowl filled with ice water. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and lower the eggs one by one gently into the water. Set a timer for 6 minutes once the water comes back to a boil. Remove the eggs directly to the ice bath. Once cool, peel, dipping each egg into the water occasionally to rinse away any shell fragments, and set aside.
  4. Have ready a slotted spoon or a spider and a baking sheet lined with a wire cooling rack or a double layer of paper towels. Pour the grapeseed oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat to 325°F (160°C). Place 8 to 10 sage leaves into the hot oil and cook until crisp, about 30 seconds. Remove them to the prepared sheet and repeat with the remaining sage leaves. Season the leaves with salt.
  5. To assemble: Slice the boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Place a dab of aioli on a platter beneath each egg half to keep them from sliding around. Season each egg half with crunchy salt and spoon a bit of aioli on each. Top each egg with a crispy fried sage leaf and a drizzle of olive oil.
  1. Sage Oil
  2. Have ready a medium bowl of ice water. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Submerge the sage leaves in the water and blanch just until they soften, about 15 seconds. Plunge into the ice bath and cool. When cool, squeeze the leaves well to dry, then chop coarsely.
  3. In a blender, puree the blanched sage with the grapeseed oil until very smooth. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve. The oil can be made up to 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let the oil come to room temperature before using.
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7 Reviews

Veggie A.
Veggie A. July 18, 2021
Just made this for my dinner - so delicious! I did add a clove of garlic to the aioli. Thanks for the great recipe!
 
JK
JK June 2, 2021
This looked fabulous so went at it this morning, and as it is simple, it is also VERY delicious and stands on its own with the criminally underutilized Sage. I like my boiled and poached eggs to have this exact jammy texture, so was a no brainer. Nice job!
 
patricia G.
patricia G. June 1, 2021
recipe sounds lovely but aioli calls for ail (garlic) and there is none here that I can see. Call it a sage-flavoured mayonnaise, rather than aioli?
 
JK
JK June 2, 2021
Okay, we aren't taking rocket science, nowadays aioli is not the mortar and pestle version of olive oil and garlic yet a homemade mayonnaise, in the blender, stick blended or mini prep, but I also think you knew that anyways...
 
patricia G.
patricia G. June 2, 2021
No, I am a puzzled Francophone.
 
Torgny
Torgny June 6, 2021
I have to agree with Patricia. Neither she nor anyone else criticized the use of the word “aioli” because of the method of preparation but because of the recipe’s lack of garlic. And she’s totally correct: an aioli is literally defined by its use of garlic. Calling a mayonnaise without garlic an “aioli” makes as little sense as calling a dog a cat. Cooking terms may not be rocket science, but there are still some basic rules as to their use . . .
 
Renee E.
Renee E. June 6, 2021
Thanks for the correction. Both myself and all that worked on this book failed to catch this. Thanks for pointing that out...will make the correction when I am able.