"A pleasure of both texture and seasonality is the general idea here" (Hopkinson, 2009).Source: The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson (2009).
Ingredients
1 lb new potatoes, scraped or peeled, sliced.
salt
2 large mint sprigs
2-3 TB. unsalted butter
1/2 lb asparagus tips
hearts of 2 Boston lettuces, leaves separated, washed, and carefully dried.
Sea Salt
2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
handful of chervil sprigs
For the butter sauce
juice of 1 small lemon
pinch of sugar
5 TB. cold unsalted butter,
cut into small chunks.
white pepper
1 TB. chopped chives
My modifications
I used 4 large mint leaves, and black pepper. I also used the “real lemon” juice instead of using a real lemon—however I used too much, so be stingy.
I did not include the hard boiled eggs nor the chervil sprigs, only because I had neither. I’m sure they would be delicious!
Directions
1. Simmer the potatoes in lightly salted water just to cover, with the mint, until tender. Drain over a bowl, keep some of the water for now.
2. Place the potatoes on low heat and add 2-3 TB. butter. Stir together, cover, and keep warm.
3. Peel the asparagus tips from just below the bud and slice them in half lengthwise. Add to a pan of boiling well-salted water and boil rapidly for about 2-4 minutes (they should be just tender, not almost raw), then drain.
4. For the butter sauce: take a roomy and shallow saucepan and squeeze in the lemon juice. Add 6 TB. of the potato cooking water and the sugar, them simmer this mixture until reduced by half. Now slowly incorporate the butter, one chunk at a time, whisking over a thread of heat until limpid and homogenous. Season with pepper. Again, keep warm.
5. Add the potatoes and asparagus to the butter sauce. Turn them gently through the sauce with the chives, until all are evenly coated.
5. Arrange the lettuce leaves on four plates and divide the asparagus and potatoes between them. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and judiciously grate the egg over. Generously scatter over chervil sprigs, which are not there just to look pretty; their faint anise flavor is very pleasing.
My Review:
I was hesitant to make this dish at first, for it seemed rather time-consuming. But after trying it, I would say that it didn’t take me too long; about 30 minutes. And I’m a stickler for using the same pots over during the cooking process, if I can. So my cleanup also wasn’t horrendous.
The flavor and texture of the dish was fantastic. I heard a lot of “mmmmm’s” from my family, so I highly recommend this for a cool spring or summer day.
I would love to hear what you thought of this dish! Please add your comment below.
