A white asparagus recipe with rolled ham, hard-boiled eggs, boiled new potatoes, fresh herbs and browned butter. The absolute best way to enjoy white asparagus.
Wash the potatoes well and cover with cold water. Add 1 bay leaf and a clove of peeled garlic. Season generously with salt and bring to a boil. Cook until nicely tender, about 10 minutes on a simmer. Once cooked, strain, season with salt, pepper and keep warm until the rest of the meal is ready.
Peel the white asparagus from top to bottom holding as shown in the picture. Once they are peeled, remove about 3 cm (1inch) off the bottom with a knife.
Get a pan and fill it with just enough water to cover the asparagus completely. Season the water with salt, a lemon cut in half, sugar, bay leaf and a knob of butter (roughly 1 tbsp). Bring to a boil and then add the white asparagus. Simmer until soft when poked with a knife. Approx 8-15 minutes.When the asparagus is cooked, let it cool slightly in the cooking liquid.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil for the eggs. Once it boils, add the eggs and set the timer for 11 minutes. When the timer goes off, run the eggs under cold water until cooled (about 1-2 minutes).
Peel the eggs and chop them finely or use a fork to mash them up. Season with a little salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Set this aside.
Brown the butter in a small pan (swirling constantly) until you see little brown bits on the bottom and it smells amazing. Set aside and keep warm.
Once the asparagus is cooked and cooled slightly, set on a plate with paper towels to dry. Get a sauté pan hot and add a knob of butter (roughly 1 tbsp) and sauté the asparagus until slightly golden brown. Hit it with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper at the end.
Serve the asparagus family style with all the options on the table. Put some asparagus on your plate and then pile on eggs, rolled ham, fresh herbs and drizzle generously with warm brown butter. Enjoy and smakelijk eten! (Enjoy your meal, in Dutch)
Notes
Make sure to peel the asparagus properly and to take off all the skin because it's super chewy and inedible.