Yesterday's lunch was simple and sublime - Roasted Asparagus and Prosciutto with a Fried Egg and Hollandaise. A treat by any standard. Roasted asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables of all time and roasting the prosciutto was a real surprise, a wonderful crisp and salty addition to the dish. The runny fried egg and lemony hollandaise just brought it all together. This couldn't be easier and takes, all-in, about 45 minutes to make. Thanks once again to Ina Garten for the inspiration and the recipe in her Barefoot Contessa Foolproof Cookbook.
Roasted Asparagus & Prosciutto with Fried Egg & Hollandaise
(Serves 3)
1 pound fresh asparagus (not too thin)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices prosciutto
1½ teaspoons unsalted butter
3 extra-large eggs
Easy Hollandaise Sauce (recipe follows)
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Preheat oven to 400 ℉.
If the asparagus are thick, peel them halfway up the stalks. Cut off and discard the bottom third of the asparagus. Place the asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 15-25 minutes, until stalks are tender to your taste. Meanwhile, place the prosciutto in a single layer on another sheet pan and roast in the same oven for 5 minutes.
Melt butter in a medium (10-inch) sauté pan over medium heat and wait until the bubbles almost subside. Crack the eggs into the skillet, keeping them separate, if possible. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the whites are cooked but the yolks are runny. Don't turn them (although Peter and I did).
Arrange the asparagus on 3 plates. Place 2 pieces of prosciutto on top of each pile, drizzle with hollandaise, and place a fried egg on top of the prosciutto. Serve hot.
Easy Hollandaise Sauce
(Makes ½ cup)
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
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Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in the jar of a blender and process on low for 15 seconds. Melt butter in a small saucepan until sizzling hot. Remove the small clear insert in the top of the blender. With the blender on low, SLOWLY add the hot butter to the egg and lemon mixture and blend for 30 seconds, until the sauce is very thick. Use immediately.
Note: You can make the hollandaise up to an hour in advance and leave it at room temperature. Before serving, add a tablespoon of very hot tap water and blend again.