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So, hear me out: the best baked eggs are made without baking. During recipe development, I found that simply adding a lid generates steam for cooking the egg tops, delivering a gently cooked perfectly poached egg with firm whites and flowing center. The harsh, arid temperature of the oven proves harsher than steam, and has a tendency to dehydrate ingredients and harden the yolk. Here are two sauce options as inspiration, but get creative. 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 cooked in zesty tomato base.

Turmeric Coconut Curry Baked Eggs (featured)

Preparation A quick 10 minutes
Cook Just under an hour
Serves 2

Extra virgin oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, minced ginger
Turmeric powder
½ tbsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves
200ml coconut milk
Chickpeas
Fresh basil, and additional for topping
4 eggs
2 green finger chillies, thinly cut, to serve

Heat a cast-iron pan at moderate-high temperature. Add a shot of olive oil, toss in the onion seasoned with salt, and cook for five to six minutes. Incorporate aromatics and spices, allow to cook, stirring occasionally briefly, add coconut milk including chickpea can contents. Let it bubble, lower heat to gentle cook, let it simmer for 30-35 minutes, until thick and golden. Season with salt, incorporate basil.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg with a little salt, cover the skillet, gently heat briefly, until egg whites firm with yolks still runny. Remove from heat, top with fresh herbs and sliced chilies, then serve immediately.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Prep 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 min
Serves 2

Oil
Merguez sausages
Spicy paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Canned tomatoes
Seasoning
Four eggs
Pickled peppers, coarsely cut
Chopped herbs, diced
Greek yogurt
1 lemon, sliced into wedges, for serving

Heat a skillet over medium flame. Pour in oil once hot, peel sausages forming small bits into the skillet, resembling tiny meatballs. Reduce heat, then slowly brown the sausagemeat, extracting spicy fats. Roll the merguez pieces around the pan during cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, mix in spices and garlic to the pot, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Tip in the tomatoes, add seasoning and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken, become richer and darker, while the oils split and rise to the top.

Use the back of a spoon making indentations across base, break eggs in. Season eggs with a little salt, place lid on pan. Cook for two to three minutes over a low heat, when eggs set with yolks runny.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, parsley, a blob of yoghurt, and oil splash, accompanied by lemon.