Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers

These baked quail egg XO sauce appetizers are savory, rich and delicious, super easy to make and they are pretty too! Make two, three or as many as you need! 

When I made homemade XO sauce last year, I was trying to think of creative ways to use it in non-traditional recipes. I just happened to have a couple fresh quail eggs on hand at the time, along with a baguette. This was just one result!

Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers

My husband and I each enjoyed one as a small appetizer and, frankly, wished we had more! Next time I make them, I’ll use a muffin pan and make a few. I suggest you do the same. 

Ingredients

For each appetizer:

Butter or olive oil for greasing a ramekin or muffin pan

1 slice baguette

2 tablespoons XO sauce (homemade from this recipe or store bought)

1 raw quail egg

For garnish: chopped chives

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and grease your ramekins or muffin pan with olive oil or butter.

Cut your baguette in thick slices.

Place one slice of baguette in each ramekin or muffin cup. Top with the XO sauce, spread around to cover the baguette. Make an indentation in the middle to help cradle the yolk.

Carefully cut the top off the quail egg shell.

Tip it out onto the XO sauce.

Bake in your preheated oven for 3-6 minutes, checking at 3 minutes and watching closely until the whites are just set and the yolks reach your desired doneness. 

Sprinkle on the chopped chives for garnish. 

We ate these with small spoons to cut the bread base and scoop. So good! 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 17th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter Q. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the Q recipes below:

• Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers from Food Lust People Love
• Cauliflower, Onion, and Pancetta Quiche from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Fresh Corn Quiche from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Fresh Summer Corn & Zucchini Sausage Quiche from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Jalapeño Popper Quesadillas from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Mughlai Paneer Qorma from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• No Rice Quinoa Dosa - Quinoa Crepes from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Qabuli Biryani from Sneha’s Recipe
• Quatre Quarts from Culinary Cam
• Queen Elizabeth Cake from A Messy Kitchen
• Western Omelette Quiche from Blogghetti

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup 

K. Easy Chicken Kapama 

L. Easy Lamb Shoulder Roast 

M. Miso Chocolate Cookies 

N. Duck Egg Narjissiya 

O. Marinated Apéro Olives

P. Bacon and Pork Patties 

Q. Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers - this post!

Pin these Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers!

.

Marmite Roast New Potatoes with Sausage and Butter Beans

Marmite Roast New Potatoes with Sausage and Butter Beans is a savory delight of a meal. Lots of protein and a big bucket load of delicious flavor. 

Seriously, guys, we love this meal. It’s easily adaptable to whatever you want to roast to set on top of those beans but at the minimum, make the bean and add some Marmite. The Parmesan cheese! The cracked black pepper! The recipe I adapted this from wasn’t called cacio e pepe butter beans for nothing! 

Marmite Roast New Potatoes with Sausage and Butter Beans

If you haven’t tried Marmite before but love salty, savory things, I encourage you to try and find a jar. It’s readily available in the UK, whence it comes, of course, but in the States, I’ve had luck online and in World Market. It’s quite strong on its own but adds so much flavor to savory dishes.

Ingredients

1 cup or 180g dried butter beans 

1 teaspoon baking soda

7 oz or 200g smoked sausage

10 3/4 oz or 305g new potatoes

Olive oil

Fine sea salt for the potatoes, plus extra at the end, if needed

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Marmite

2 tablespoons butter

1 garlic clove, crushed and minced

1 3/4 oz or 50g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra for serving

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns – I use a mortar and pestle

6 good handfuls spinach, about 2 oz or 57g

Method

In a heat proof bowl, pour boiling water over the dried butter beans. Cover the bowl and leave to soak for one hour. 

Pour the water out. Add the beans to a small pot and cover with fresh water. Bring the water to the boil, add the baking soda and turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer for 35-45 minutes or until the beans are soft. 

Set the pot aside and leave the beans to cool in the liquid. Depending on how old your dried butter beans are, these can be cooked and holding their shape or, for newer beans, very soft, almost mushy. I like them either way.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180ºC. Skin and cut the sausage into rounds. 

Put the potatoes in a roasting dish. Drizzle them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir to coat the dish and the potatoes.

Tuck the sausage rounds in amongst the potatoes. Roast in the preheat oven for about 20-25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, combine the softened butter and Marmite until you have a homogeneous mixture. 

Remove the sausage to a large covered bowl to keep warm and drizzle the potatoes with the Marmite butter. Stir well to coat. 

Roast for a further 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. 

Meanwhile, add the minced garlic and half the cracked pepper to the bean pot.

Remove the potatoes from the roasting pan and add them to the sausage bowl so you can deglaze the hot pan by adding a good drizzle of water. 

Scrape all the sticky goodness up and add it into the bean pot. Stir well.

Pop the bean pot back on the stove and reheat. Add in the spinach and stir till the beans are heated through and the spinach has wilted, 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the grated parmesan.

Add the rest of the cracked black pepper. 

Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Divide the beans between four bowls, then top each with potatoes and sausage. 

Serve with a little more freshly grated Parmesan, if desired. (Always desired, nay, obligatory, at our house!)

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing potato recipes ahead of National Potato Day on August 19th. How will you celebrate? Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below.

• Appe Batata Vada by Sneha's Recipe
• Baked Spicy Herby Potato Wedges by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Baked Potato Soup by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Budget-Friendly Potato Soup with Fresh Dill by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Campfire Potatoes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Copycat Baked Arby's Curly Fries by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes Without Butter or Cream by Culinary Cam
• Jacket Potatoes by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Marmite Roast New Potatoes with Sausage and Butter Beans by Food Lust People Love
• Three-Color Potato Salad with Vegetables by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Warm Potato Salad by A Messy Kitchen

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Marmite Roast New Potatoes 
with Sausage and Butter Beans!

 .

Nebraska Runzas #BreadBakers

A fluffy bun and a savory filling of ground beef, chopped cabbage and onion are the hallmarks of classic Nebraska runzas, a great midwestern snack. 

Way back in May of 2016, I was researching stuffed bun recipes for a Bread Bakers post in August and came across one for Nebraska runzas. It was originally published in the Washington Post, written by a food writer named Tim Carman who grew up in Nebraska.

While I didn't save the story he shared with the recipe, apparently his mom's homemade runzas were a breakthrough in the food battles the two of them were having. Unfortunately, the link no longer contains the recipe, no less the story, so I'm glad I copied and pasted that! 

I ended up not making the runzas 10 years ago, sharing instead some tasty cheese-stuffed-peppadew stuffed buns of my own devise. This time, I decided the Nebraska runzas had waited long enough! 

Nebraska Runzas

These stuffed buns don’t traditionally have any spice beyond salt and black pepper  in the filling but, as a Cajun person, I felt moved to sprinkle in some cayenne. It added a lovely little kick. Leave it out if you want to go old-school Nebraskan.

Ingredients

For the dough:

3⁄4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1⁄4 cup or 60ml warm water, plus 1/3 cup or 90ml room-temperature water 1/3 cup or 90ml milk

1⁄4 cup or 48g vegetable shortening

3 1⁄4 cups or 406g flour, plus more as needed for kneading

1 tablespoon sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Canola or other light oil, for greasing the proofing bowl

Milk for brushing on before baking

For the filling:

1.1 lb or 500g lean ground beef

Olive oil

1 small onion, cut into small dice, about 1 cup (about 125g)

2 1⁄2 cups chopped green cabbage (from 1⁄4 large head) (about 170g) 

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

Several generous grinds black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne, optional

Method

Combine the yeast and the 1/4 cup or 60ml of warm water in small bowl or measuring vessel, adding a pinch of the sugar and stirring until the yeast has dissolved.

Combine the 1/3 cup or 90ml of the room-temperature water, the milk and shortening in a small saucepan; heat over low heat until the shortening has liquefied but the temperature of the mixture is no greater than 130°F or 54°C.

Add in the rest of the sugar and the salt and stir till dissolved.

(If during that time the yeast mixture hasn’t bubbled at all, your yeast might be dead. So dump it out and start over.)

Combine 1 cup or 125g of the flour, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeasty liquid, the warm milk mixture and the egg to the mixer bowl.

Beat on medium-low speed until well incorporated. Stop to scrape down the bowl and beaters; then, on medium-low speed, gradually add the rest of the flour, beating to form a wet dough.

Change over to the dough-hook attachment and knead in your stand mixer or on a floured surface, adding a little extra flour, if needed, until you form a dough that’s smooth and elastic and a still a bit tacky.

Lightly grease a proofing bowl with oil, then place the dough in it. Cover with a damp towel or cling film and leave to rise in a draft-free spot for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough has about doubled in size. 

Meanwhile, make the filling. Fry the ground beef with a drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook until you get a few well browned crunchy bits, breaking up the meat to a crumbly consistency as it cooks.

Stir in the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until translucent.

Add in the cabbage. 

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring to incorporate, until the cabbage has softened. Season with the salt, black pepper and cayenne, if using. Stir well and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.

Uncover and punch down the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (it’s good to use a kitchen scale for this) and roll them into balls. Divide your filling into 12 equal portions. (A scale is handy here as well!) These are my first six.

Working with one at a time on the floured work surface, roll out each portion of dough to your best approximation of a 5-inch or 12.5cm square, – NOT ROUND. A round runza is how they are made in Kansas, not Nebraska! 

Spoon one portion of the filling into the center of each piece. Dampen the edges with water.

Fold the sides in. 

Then fold the top and bottom together and pinch to seal the seams, making your requisite rectangle.

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. 

Place seam-side down on the lined baking sheet. I had to do mine in two batches since I was baking in a small oven. Our new kitchen is meant to be ready by this weekend though. 🤞

Let the runzas rise for 20 minutes then brush them with a little milk.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy! 

It's the second Tuesday of the month so, as mentioned above, it's time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes. As you might have surmised, the theme is stuffed buns! Many thanks to our host, Radha of Magical Ingredients. Check out the links below.

• Custard Buns from A Messy Kitchen
• Ham and Cheese Stuffed Buns from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot Dog Flower Buns from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Nebraska Runzas from Food Lust People Love
• Salted Caramel Apple Wreath from Magical Ingredients
• Small Batch Nebraska Runzas from Sneha’s Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Nebraska Runzas!

.