Eggs Sardou (New Orleans-Style Poached Eggs With Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, and Hollandaise) Recipe

Updated December 28, 2022

Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Video: Serious Eats Video.

Eggs Sardou was created in the 19th century at Antoine's, in the French Quarter, but it's still just effective a hangover cure as it was back then. It's made by topping creamed spinach with artichoke hearts warmed in butter, along with a couple of poached eggs and some Hollandaise sauce. Think of it as eggs Benedict's greener-but-just-as-rich cousin.

I'm not going to lie: the classic recipe is not simple. Not only does it involve creaming spinach, but it also requires you to poach eggs and make a perfect Hollandaise sauce—something that even seasoned brunch cooks occasionally struggle with. Fortunately, we've got a solution to all those problems.

Why This Recipe Works:

We let our creamed spinach slowly simmer and tenderize while working on the artichoke hearts, poached eggs, and Hollandaise, streamlining the process.
We've taken the most difficult parts of eggs sardou—the poached eggs and Hollandaise—and found foolproof solutions that anyone following our videos can accomplish.

Recipe Details

Eggs Sardou (New Orleans-Style Poached Eggs With Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, and Hollandaise) Recipe

Active 60 mins

Total 60 mins

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
10 ounces fresh spinach leaves (about 5 cups), roughly chopped
Dash hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 whole canned artichoke bottoms (from one 14-ounce can)
8 eggs
1 recipe foolproof 2-minute hollandaise (seasoned with a dash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank's)

Directions

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add flour and cook stirring constantly until mixture just begins to brown and flour smells toasted, about 4 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly stir in milk until no lumps remain. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Allow mixture to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and creamy 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in hot sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to use.
While spinach mixture simmers, melt the remaining tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add artichoke bottoms and cook, stirring, until heated but not browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to serve.
Poach eggs according to this video until whites are set but yolks are still runny. Poached eggs can be transferred to a bowl of warm water with a slotted spoon as they cook to hold until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, divide creamed spinach between 4 plates, place 2 warmed artichoke bottoms on top of each portion of spinach, then place one poached in each artichoke. Top with Hollandaise and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
511	Calories
39g	Fat
21g	Carbs
22g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	511
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g	50%
Saturated Fat 21g	105%
Cholesterol 537mg	179%
Sodium 1166mg	51%
Total Carbohydrate 21g	8%
Dietary Fiber 6g	20%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 15mg	77%
Calcium 296mg	23%
Iron 5mg	30%
Potassium 828mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.