It was one of those end-of-the-month Sundays. I hadn’t shopped and there wasn’t much available for a quick but pleasing breakfast. I found some leftover cheese. We had the last slices of The Foodies Wife’s rosemary bread that she’d made on Friday. Then I spotted the air fryer.

We’re big fans of mustard. And of mustard and cheese. They go together like a happy marriage. Spying the jar of whole grain French mustard in the fridge, I buttered one side of slices of rosemary bread and smeared plenty of mustard on.

In the crisper were two ends of cheese: a herbed Gouda that had seen better days, and the last of the Langbaken Williston, not quite in its prime. Both were a bit hard (though they grated easily), but cheese is remarkable in its durability and the magic that a bit of heat can apply to it. I don’t think many other food writers would make such an admission but I’m a real home cook and I write for real people. So here’s what you can do with that leftover cheese. They were delicious. And done in an air fryer to boot.

To get them closer to the air fryer element (which is above), place an inverted foil tray in the basket as a platform on which to grill the cheese on top.

Here’s The Foodie’s Wife’s famous quick herbed bread recipe if you need it.

(Per 2 servings)

Ingredients

2 slices of bread per person, whatever’s available

2 eggs, fried in butter, per person

Butter

Wholegrain mustard

Enough grated leftover cheese to cover the tops of the number of slices you’re doing

Cooking oil spray

Method

It’s pointless giving measures for this, it depends on your needs; just grate more cheese if the first batch isn’t enough.

Fry the eggs in butter leaving the yolks soft as they will continue to cook in the air fryer.

Preheat the air fryer to 200℃. Place inverted foil trays in, and spray their tops, i.e. their undersides which are now facing up. (I say “they” because my air fryer has two drawers; use one larger tray if necessary.)

Place the bread on the trays and toast for 4 minutes at 200℃.

Remove, turn the bread over and butter the top sides. Smear mustard on, as much as you prefer. Place a fried egg on top of each.

Grate the cheese (if two kinds, mix them up), and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Pop them back in the air fryer for about 5 minutes at 200℃. That’s a pleasingly simple breakfast that I’ll certainly make again. DM/TGIFood

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.