Darren McGrady shared his memories of Prince William and Harry’s mother Diana on his YouTube channel, and also shared how to prepare the “comfort food” she would ask him to make for her and the boys. Speaking in a video to celebrate her 60th birthday, he revealed that one of her favorite meals “was a dish known as Eggs Suzette”.
Diana was known to favor vegetarian dishes, often choosing them instead of meat-rich options, and this dish consisted mainly of potatoes and eggs. Darren said: “Egg Suzette – you can see why it was one of Princess Diana’s favourites. She asked for it at least once a week. She loved that poached egg on top, a bit of hollandaise sauce and some spinach on the bottom.”
He gave the recipe that serves two as follows:
ingredients
Potato peel
- Two large potatoes
- Two tablespoons of butter
- One egg – yolk only
- Salt and pepper to taste
The filling
- Two cups of spinach leaves
- A teaspoon of olive oil
- One pinch of ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Two large eggs
- A teaspoon of white wine vinegar
- Small spoon of salt
Hollandaise sauce
- Four tablespoons of butter
- 2 eggs (yolk only)
- A quarter teaspoon of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A teaspoon of chopped fresh tarragon
Darren said people should start by baking raw potatoes until they are soft in the middle, then take them out of the oven and let them cool. Cut them in half lengthwise, before carefully scooping out the tender potato cores into a bowl. He noted that it is important not to damage the skin because this will form a “skin” for the rest of the fillings later.
Add butter, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the potato bowl to help create a “nice glaze” on the potatoes that will be embedded in the skin. Mash the mixture with a fork to create a mostly smooth mixture. It’s okay to have some clumps, as long as they are small enough to be pumped through the nozzle.
Transfer the potato filling to a piping bag (or sandwich bag with the corner cut off), then carefully pipe around the edge of the empty potato shell. Place the potatoes on a baking tray, place them in the oven at 400 degrees, and cook until the piping is golden. While cooking, fill a pot with boiling water and place a large heatproof bowl on top.
Add the egg yolk and a little melted butter, and whisk constantly. If it gets too hot, remove from heat and add more butter along with lemon juice, salt and pepper to “make a nice sauce.” Set it aside and keep it warm, then poach an egg in the boiling water in the pot below, adding a pinch of salt to the mixture.
Saute some fresh spinach in a separate pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper until soft and wilted. Take the boiled potatoes out of the oven and fill the middle with cooked vegetables, before placing a layer of boiled eggs. Transfer to a serving plate and top with the buttery egg yolk sauce. Sprinkle with a few slices of fresh green onion, parsley or tarragon and enjoy.
“She didn’t always eat the shell, but I mean it’s a meal in itself,” Darren added.