Cheesy, Crispy Potato Cakes with Poached Eggs
By M&S Food
Published on 25 August 2025
Chef Elliot Grover brings restaurant-style comfort to your table with these quick and satisfying Cheesy, Crispy Potato Cakes with Poached Eggs. Made for M&S’s Cooking with the Stars he’s paired them with buttery spinach and a creamy mustard parsley sauce. Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
4Servings
30 minsPrep time
30 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 1 leek, halved lengthways
- 2 x 227g packs M&S Cheddar Cheese and Onion Crisp Bakes
- 1 jar M&S Bechamel everything sauce
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 100g parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2 eggs
- 250g baby spinach
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
Method
Step 1
First make the crispy air-fried leeks. Cut each leek half into 3 long sections then stack these on top of each other and thinly slice into matchsticks.Step 2
Heat the air fryer to 200°C. Set a piece of greaseproof paper over the base of the air fryer. Set the leeks on top and spray with oil, cook for 7-8 mins, until golden brown and crisp. Remove and set aside on kitchen paper. If you don’t have an air fryer, heat a tall-sided frying pan filled with a generous glug of neutral oil over a medium-high heat. If you are frying, carefully lower the leeks into the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes until golden and carefully remove the leeks with a slotted spoon or tongs. Pop onto a piece of kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.Step 3
Reheat your air fryer to 200°C. Bake the cheese and potato crisp bakes for 12 mins, until cooked through. Cook to packet instructions if using the oven.Step 4
Meanwhile, set a pan over medium heat. Add in the béchamel sauce and warm until bubbling. Reduce to a simmer and stir through the mustards. Remove from the heat then stir in the parsley and lemon juice.Step 5
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, crack the eggs into four cups. Spin the water slowly and carefully slide an egg into the centre of the vortex, swiftly followed by the rest. Poach the eggs for 3 mins. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.Step 6
Heat a separate saucepan over medium-high heat and add the spinach along with a splash of water. Cook for 3 mins until wilted then season with a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.Step 7
Set the crisp bakes on a bed of spinach, topped with a poached egg and plenty of sauce to pour over. Scatter with crispy leeks to serve.