Irish Eggs Benedict with White Cheddar Cheese Hollandaise Sauce

Let's give an Irish spin to the classic Eggs Benedict with a perfectly poached egg over shredded corned  beef, drizzled with a creamy Hollandaise sauce flavored with (Irish) white cheddar cheese

This post is written in collaboration with Eggland's Best. All opinions are mine alone.

Let's turn the classic Eggs Benedict into the perfect Saint Patrick's Day breakfast or brunch. 

As the traditional Eggs Benedict recipe, this dish is made with a perfectly poached egg over a golden toasted English muffins. 

Rather than using Canadian bacon like the classic Egg Benedict,  I'm topping the bread with shredded corned beef (you can use leftovers or buy some from your deli counter). 

For the sauce, I'm switching it up by making the classic luxurious hollandaise sauce and adding some Irish shredded cheese for a creamy and tasty variation. 

For this recipe, let's start by making the Hollandaise sauce: 

To make the hollandaise sauce you could use a food processor to mix the ingredients. I'm only making a very small amount (just 1 egg yolk, enough for two eggs Benedict), so it's quite easy to mix by hand. You can double or triple up the recipe and use a food processor to mix. 

In a small sauce pan, whisk the egg yolk with lemon juice and water until light and fluffy. 

Gradually add the melted butter while whisking well.  Cook over medium-low heat while whisking continuously, until warm and thickened. 

At this point you can add the shredded cheese. Cook and whisk until melted. If needed, add some milk, a tablespoon at a time while whisking until you reach the desired density. Keep warm while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

How to make the perfect poached egg:

Crack the egg into a small glass bowl, so it will be easier to let the egg slip into the simmering hot water.

Make sure to use a deep enough pan  to hold 2 to 3 inches of water. Large enough that makes it easy to cook the eggs without crowding the pan and touching each other. And wide enough that it's easy to slide the eggs in and out of the water.

Once the water is simmering (bubbling but not boiling hard) gently slip the eggs in the water. 

At this point, there are several recipes and recommendations out there on how to cook the best poached eggs. Swirl the water, lower the heat... what I do is pretty much: NOTHING! Simply cover the pan,  turn off the heat, and let the egg sit in the hot water for at least 4 minutes. And that's all! No need to touch the eggs or the water. Some of the egg white will come loose but that's ok. 

Using a slotted spoon or similar, gently scoop out the eggs one at a time. Dab the bottom on paper towel to remove the excess water and serve!

To assemble the Egg Benedict:

While the eggs are cooking (or more like resting in hot water), toast the bread and set on the serving plate.

I like to drizzle a bit of Hollandaise sauce on top of the bread because... well, why not?!? Really, the most cheesy and saucy,  the better it is.

Top with corned beef (as much or as little as you like). Top with the eggs as soon as ready. And finish with the remaining sauce. 

Season with pepper and sprinkle with fresh parsley! Watch the egg yolk magical dripping when popped. And enjoy as fast as you can. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD: Irish Eggs Benedict