A Modern Way to Eat. Anna Jones

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      A new eggs Benedict

      I’m not sure I know anyone who doesn’t like eggs Benedict, in all its rich hollandaise glory. This is how I make mine. Roasted slices of sweet potato step in for muffins, and avocado and cashews whiz up creamily in seconds with a bit of tarragon to make a killer super-light hollandaise, creamy but not too rich. The sticky onions and spinach sandwich it all together.

      I like to make my hollandaise this way, as I find a butter-laden sauce too much of a treat to start the day with (delicious though it is).

      In order to get a creamy sauce I soak my cashew nuts in water overnight, but, if you forget, half an hour’s soaking will do. See here for more on soaking nuts.

      For this recipe, you need to get your hands on large sweet potatoes so that they are wide enough to sit the poached egg on top.

      SERVES 4

      2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1cm rounds

      sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      olive or rapeseed oil

      2 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced

      6 handfuls of spinach, washed and any big stalks removed

      4 organic or free-range eggs

      FOR THE QUICK HOLLANDAISE

      a small handful of cashew nuts, soaked in water (see above)

      ½ an avocado

      a small bunch of fresh tarragon or dill, leaves picked

      juice of ½ a lime

      Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.

      Lay the sweet potato slices on a couple of baking trays, season with salt and pepper, drizzle lightly with oil and roast for 20 minutes, until soft through and crisping at the edges.

      Now on to the onions. Put a pan on a medium heat, add a little oil, then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions are soft and sweet and starting to brown. Scoop them into a bowl and set to one side, keeping the pan to use later.

      To make your hollandaise, blitz the drained cashews in a food processor until you have a crumbly paste. Add the avocado and most of the tarragon or dill with the lime juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper and blitz again. If you need to, loosen the sauce with a little water until it is thick but drizzleable.

      Heat the pan you cooked the onions in on a medium heat. Add the spinach and a drop of olive oil and cook for a couple of minutes, until it starts to wilt but is still vivid green.

      Next, poach the eggs. Heat a pan of water until boiling – I use a frying pan, but use whatever pan is most comfortable for you to poach eggs in. Turn the heat down until the water is barely blipping, then crack in the eggs and leave them to cook for 3–4 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.

      To serve, lay some of the sweet potatoes in the middle of each plate. Top with the onions and wilted spinach, then add the egg and a spoonful of hollandaise. Scatter over the rest of the tarragon or dill, season with salt and pepper and dig in.

       Other ways to use your quick avocado hollandaise:

      · Spooned over griddled asparagus.

      · On top of a green spring risotto.

      · On top of little smashed-pea toasts.

      · Next to a simple poached egg on toast.

      · In sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.