The royal chef, who served the family for 15 years, laid bare the late Princess Diana’s go-to lunchtime dish.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel to commemorate what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday, Darren McGrady revealed that the former Princess of Wales loved “comfort foods” that she could enjoy with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
And “one of her favourite meals” was a dish known as eggs Suzette – comprised mainly of a baked potato and eggs.
Darren said: “Egg Suzette – you can see why it was one of the Princess Diana’s favourites. She requested it at least once a week.
“She loved that poached egg on top, a little hollandaise sauce and some spinach on the bottom.”
Start by baking a raw jacket potato until it is soft in the centre, then remove it from the oven and leave it to cool.
Slice it down the centre into two halves, lengthways, before carefully scooping out the fluffy potato core into a bowl.
Darren noted that it is important not to damage the skin as this will form a “shell” for the rest of the fillings later on.
To the bowl of potato, add butter, egg yolk and a pinch of salt and pepper to help make a “nice glaze” on the potato that will be piped into the skin.
Mash the mixture with a fork to form a mostly smooth mixture. It’s okay to have a few lumps, as long as they’re small enough to be piped through a nozzle.
Transfer the potato filling into a piping bag (or sandwich bag with the corner snipped off), and carefully pipe around the edge of the empty spud-skin shell.
Place the potato onto a baking tray and into the oven at 400C, and cook until the piping is golden brown. While it’s cooking, fill a saucepan with boiling water and place a large, heat-proof bowl on top.
Add the egg yolks, and a little melted butter, and whisk continuously. If it gets too hot, remove it from the heat and add some more butter, along with a squeeze of 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 saucepan below, with a little salt added to the mix.
Sautee some fresh spinach in a separate frying pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper until it is soft and wilted.
Remove the piped potato from the oven and fill the centre with the cooked greens, before layering it with the poached egg.
Transfer onto a serving plate and top with the buttery egg yolk sauce. Sprinkle with a few freshly sliced green onions, parsley or tarragon and enjoy.
“She didn’t always eat the shell, but I mean, that’s a meal in itself.”