One of the things I love about my city is the way we jump at the chance celebrate local events as unofficial, illogical holidays, just because. I get redorkulously excited about the Mermaid Parade, as well as the dapper sea of white uniforms all over the city during Fleet Week. I still haven’t convinced my (Russian! it’s in his blood and everything, I tell him) to do a Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge with me on New Year’s Day, but I did get him to stand on a center median of 14th Street looking west on Wednesday night at 8:16 p.m. (along with such a confusing cluster of people that a second crowd formed to scratch their heads at us) to catch a glimpse of this season’s Manhattanhenge. The events are random and even a little absurd, but NYC is no place to miss a chance to let your goofy flag fly.
I have another, smaller, day that I add to this list, which is the day that the mini-Farmer’s Market in my neighborhood opens each May. (Were you to dig through the archives, there’s a clear day every May when the site switches from pantry-raiders like soup and pasta to fresh new happy things.) Like a hopeless nerd with a shiny apple for the teacher on the first day of class, I show up the minute it opens and make a beeline for the broccoli, spinach and baby watermelons. I buy too much. I come back later and buy more, anyway. After six months of brown vegetables, you can’t blame me for overdoing it at the prospect of pearly stalks of rhubarb, lawns of asparagus, and strawberries that are red all the way through.
As is my tradition, I buy asparagus first. I then spend two days being overly precious about it, spending way too much time trying to find the very best way to celebrate the first pencil stalks of the seasons. There’s been Spring Asparagus and Pancetta Hash and Ribboned Pizzas and Salads, hearty sautes of Asparagus, Chorizo and Croutons and lemony pastas with goat cheese. But this year, I couldn’t rein it in; I’d been unable to whittle my pile of ideas down to a single standout of a dish when, at my favorite neighborhood restaurant Wednesday night, I had grilled asparagus with a garlicky lemon yogurt dressing and chopped almonds and ding! That was it.
Back home, it took a little detour through Spain. I added smoked pimentón and chopped hard-boiled eggs (which totally makes it lunch). I used Marcona almonds I hadn’t realized I had until my MIL unearthed them from the back of the fridge, then toasted them even darker. And sadly, as we are still without a grill, I did the next best thing and pan-roasted the asparagus and this, my friends, is how I am going to eat asparagus for a while, or at least for as long as it lasts. Next May, we start again.
One year ago: Fudge Popsicles
Two years ago: Root Beer Float Cupcakes
Three years ago: Pesto Potato Salad with Green Beans
Four years ago: Molly’s Dry-Rubbed Ribs
Five years ago: Zucchini Carpaccio Salad
Roasted Asparagus with Smoky Lemon Yogurt, Chopped Eggs and Toasted Almonds
The yogurt dressing below will make more than you need, but if you’re anything like us, you’ll want to make this again soon and will be glad you have it around. If you have a hot smoked paprika around, I am sure it would make a wonderful, kicky substitution for half the paprika. Chipotle powder, which is also smoky and hot, can impart a similar flavor. If you don’t have smoked paprika around, regular paprika with a pinch of ground cumin will add some smoky depth as well. Sumac powder, with an almost tart or sour paprika flavor, would be delicious in here as well. The longer the yogurt dressing rests, the more garlicky it will become.
The pan-roasting technique is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, and I will treasure it because it manages to allow you to get the blistery, crisp-but-tender effect you might from a grill, without requiring that you either have a grill or run your oven for a long time. Hooray!
This dish is great warm but was also delicious at room temperature. Because of this, I think it would make an excellent brown bag lunch, cutting the spears into smaller segments that would easily fit in a container.
2 large eggs
1/3 cup whole blanched almonds, Marconas if you can get them
Yogurt dressing
1 cup plain yogurt (strained or Greek-style if you can find it)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pounds asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed or peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Squeeze of lemon juice
Drizzle of olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Hard-boil your eggs according to your favorite method. I like to put my eggs cold in a pot of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, I set the timer for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to a moderate simmer. When the timer goes off, I drain them and plunge them in ice water for a quick cooling. While they cool, toast your almonds. [If you have time, cook the eggs 24 hours or more in advance. Older hard-boiled eggs peel more cleanly.]
In a 12-inch heavy skillet, toast your almonds over medium heat, tossing them frequently until they’re lightly bronzed. [Marcona almonds often come already toasted and in a bit of olive oil. If you’re happy with their color, use them as is. If not, you can put the almonds and oil in the skillet to toast them more deeply, as I did.] Let cool.
Once eggs and almonds are cool, coarsely chop both and set aside.
Make your yogurt dressing, whisking all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spread 1/2 cup dressing in a thin layer over serving dish and set aside.
Reheat heavy 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, and once the oil is fully heated, add your trimmed asparagus spears — placing half in one direction and half in the other allows them to fit better. They won’t fit flat in a single layer, but you should try to spread them as evenly as possible. Cover the skillet with a lid (foil if you don’t have one that fits) and let skinny spears cook for 3 minutes and fatter ones for 5. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high, season the asparagus with salt and black pepper, and use tongs to cook the spears until they’re crisp-tender and well-browned along a side or two, about 5 minutes more for skinny spears or 7 minutes for thicker ones.
Transfer asparagus to dressing-coated serving dish. Sprinkle spears with an additional squeeze of lemon juice, if desired, a tiny drizzle of olive oil, chopped almonds, eggs and a bit of coarse sea salt. Dollop with additional yogurt dressing. Then dig in.
Awwwww DEB!!! I JUST MADE asparagus LAST NIGHT!!! I really could have used this one. Oh well, there’s always a next time!!! :D lol Looks DELISH.
Oh boy, it looks totally scrumptious! Like you, I always look forward to the asparagus season and make sure to eat it as much as I can. I am totally trying your take on it. Have a beautiful weekend, Deb. xoxo
Great asparagus shots! Love the yogurt dressing – I see myself using it on a variety of grilled vegetables.
Lovely! I too have been on an asparagus kick since early May. When I roasted mine, I did something similar with a yogurt dressing, only I went the Greek route instead of the Spanish one–balsamic, Greek yogurt, green garlic and olive oil. I’m now convinced that yogurt was made for asparagus.
Sounds like a perfect spring lunch to me!
Farmers’ markets and fleet week are MAJOR holidays. Fresh fruit and men in uniform. And asparagus! Not illogical at all!
Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables to cook with, but I’ve never paired it with eggs or almonds! This sounds delicious. And hah, I also made asparagus last night, although made mine with a tahini lemon dressing – which is a combo I’d also recommend.
Also….sigh I love Manhattan. Although DC currently holds #1 in my heart.
I wholeheartedly contend that pimentón makes everything better.
What a wonderful, celebratory post, Deb! I didn’t think a spring recipe could outdo your shaved asparagus pizza, but this looks wonderful. Off to the Madison farmers’ market tomorrow morning!
Down here in the South, asparagus has been around awhile now b/c we had such a warm winter. I hope there’s more lingering around the markets so I can make this!
What is that egg dish in the last photo… eggs with zucchini slices? I have asparagus at home, I know what I’m making on Sunday!
Hah, I read “panty-raiders” instead of “pantry-raiders” and got terribly confused for a moment! But really, this sounds wonderful, underwear concerns aside. I’m giddy with asparagus and will be for the foreseeable future, so this will be featured on our dinner table soon.
My sister and I literally cheered at happy hour on Monday night when Back Forty brought back the Red & Black! Tequila and strawberries definitely mean summer is back in the city.
Jessie — We did too! It actually inspired a drink in my cookbook, we love it so.
Dishes in the last photo — The last wedges of the Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte I’d made earlier this week (I added a new note to the recipe this week about adapting it to fit in one large skillet, and highly recommend this adaptation; next time, I’ll re-photograph it), Broccoli Slaw (to celebrate the market’s first broccoli as well), some sausage my son actually deigned to eat (hooray) and the asparagus, a little worse for the wear a couple hours later when we finally sat down.
This looks and sounds soooo good!!! Can you guess what’s on tonight’s menu – yeap – this recipe! Thanks Deb!!
On that celebratory note, thank you for the everyday cakes, slows, salads, and veggie dishes like this one, that make that random Friday dinner special!
I, too, look forward to the start of farmers’ market season, but here in Chicago it doesn’t start until early/mid June (so I’m still waiting…) But we’ve been getting grocery store asparagus occasionally since early Spring—I always keep an eye out for the thinnest stalks I can find and we broil it and have it mixed in with clams and spaghetti. This method looks nice as well, and I bet it would be great served cold on a hot day.
So fun! I like asparagus in every way so I know I’ll like this!
I will be making this tonight. I think I’ll use some purple or white asparagus since I saw it at the market the other day.
I feel the same way when the spring vegetables come back! I had to laugh about how clear your spring vegetable excitement is since you have more links than ever in the above post (meaning you’ve made all those awesome spring vegetable dishes). I even gave up on trying to find the one that was a hidden picture Jacob! lol
Anyway, I think I’ll try the yogurt sauce on some veggies soon. My asparagus patch (inherted, new house) is already sort of… too big. The asparagus are awfully thick and the skinny ones are long gone. Does anyone know if they are any good when about an inch thick? Can I shave them into slivers or will they taste too woody?
So this is almost five years later, but I’m responding out of my love of asparagus! The super thick stuff is still good, it just means that that asparagus patch has been there for quite a while. Asparagus doesn’t start to get woody until late in the season, or if it doesn’t get enough water. Almost all of my home grown asparagus is over half an inch thick; depending on what method I’m using to cook it, I tend to just split it in two.
You must be a mind reader. How did you know I have asparagus in the fridge waiting to be used?
Asparagus is one of my favorites–and I too spend way too much time tying to figure out the perfect way to cook it when it first hits the farmer’s market. I love the combination with hard-boiled egg here!
Oh my does this look delicious! Just the thing to kick of spring!
i love asparagus, so good!
oh yum! i love asparagus!
excited to try (asparagus is my favorite veggie!) Looks very fresh and healthy :)
This looks like the perfect blend of simplicity with a dash of interest via the yogurt. Yum! And I am with you, all the way: a fellow farmers market nerd.
Typo alert! “run you oven for a long time” should be “your”. Unless it is maybe a kid’s book: run, you oven, for a long time!
Kidding aside, definitely auditioning this very soon!
Melissa — Thank you. I am totally going to write “Run, You Oven!” as part of my future Smitten Littles Book Series. (I am totally joking. We’re more Seuss- and Sendak-ian at Casa Smitten, after all.)
Janet — I actually came home with a $6 basket of utterly flavorless, depressing strawberries the first week. I am going to pretend that never happened.
Our farmers’ market starts this weekend, hurrah! But you get awesome things at yours — traditionally, for the first few weeks we get $4/bunch radishes (I know, right?!) and almost equally overpriced lettuce and not much else, so it’s always sad. But it’s been warm this spring, so I’m letting myself be cautiously hopeful. The drawback of super-local markets, I guess.
Thank you for cluing me in on a new asparagus method! I love them in the oven but have been too lazy to turn it on lately, so I’ve been doing them in the microwave, alton brown style. They’re def good, but you can beat roasting (or faux-roasting)!
I absolutely adore asparagus and this looks like a perfect way to enjoy. The pics are just beautiful. Asparagus is a high fashion model in this post :) So pretty!
oooh…you make me want to find all the quirky, fun events in my city (or go to NYC)!…and you also make me want to eat asparagus! :)
That sounds really Nice, have never tried asparagus with almonds, that’s bookmarked. Have a wonderful weekend.
Oh yeah, I also made the broccoli slaw this week! It was sooo good.
The salad looks wonderful. I saw your shavings and thought about a “shaved asparagus” salad I just posted and I need to make it again. I will try your recipe first though. We did a cooking class in Provence back in March and bought some of the thinnest (and I mean thin) asparagus I have every seen and also did a recipe that the chef just drizzled some pure orange oil from a tiny dropper over the sautéed asparagus. I love asparagus any way.
Thanks for another amazing recipe! The first local asparagus has just started to appear at my market, and I’m going to get down to business with some this weekend. I love the cooking technique for we grill-less apartment dwellers!
@Jess- my understanding is that if the asparagus is thick, all you need to do is shave the outside off with a vegetable peeler and snap off the bottoms ala Mark Bittman. Then cook as usual. It would be a shame to actually have an asparagus patch and not be able to eat it!
My FIL had a heart attack a few years ago and the entire family has been on a mission to get him to eat more green veggies. I think this yogurt dressing might be just the thing to get him to stop turning his nose up!
Deb, My first comment. I am an oldish girl (60+), who as a kid fled the house gagging whenever asparagus was cooking. AND I was the person in charge of cutting the spears in our cold frame in PA. Decade by decade I have come around to asparagus and now like a small, crisp, flavorful portion. Thanks for providing a clean, fresh, interesting disguise for this “no longer a nemesis” vegetable. I’m on it! Your inspiration is mine!
Love the recipe! I recently tried David Chang’s asparagus with miso butter, which is a great dish. Yours will be my next asparagus dish.
I read “pantry-raiders” as “panty-raiders.” Must be Friday.
Can’t wait to try this!
This dish just SPEAKS to. It’s saying “sssssspring is still here!”. I’m not totally ready for summer. YET.
Sometimes I think of asparagus as healthy candy, it is just that good…paired with the almonds seems fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Must. make. this. After tomorrow’s visit to the farmer’s market. Thank you Deb for yet another glorious recipe!!
This looks fantastic. I’m so glad that yogurt has been popping up everywhere in the past few years as something much more versatile than a breakfast to mix with berries.
My hometown (Richmond, VA) has a similar obsession with wacky festivals. Have some great memories from attending the Watermelon Festival as a kid and joining in on the seed pitting contests!
Have you ever tried Roasted Asparagus with Walnut Crema and Pecorino (posted by Molly of Orangette here: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2009/04/truth-is.html)? I made it for my sister one year for her birthday, and it was the first time in my life I had EVER enjoyed asparagus. Now roasted asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, and I make it whenever I can find fresh asparagus.
this is great, I combined it with my personal recipe and really enjoyed it – I add a little olive oil and grated parmesan
Also, I used some of the extra as a topping on my baked potato with just a little butter and it was the best ever. I highly recommend it!
I love the mermaid parade as well, it’s sooo much fun. Since I’ve moved here I never missed a single one. It’s the best thing in the world!
Easy, healthy, in season… and it looks delicious!
Deb, these look like thin asparagus, so why did you shave them? I know that white asparagus is always shaved, but for green asparagus I never bother. By the way, local green asparagus is hard to find here in the Netherlands, but the white gold (as it’s sometimes referred to here) is everywhere. But I’ve scored some green (my favourite) and am making this recipe for lunch today. Thanks as ever.
Barbara — It removed the tougher (also, browner as it was a few days old) ends. I am not a fan of snapping them.
What a delicious spread you have in that picture! Is that a mushroom pizza and some broccoli salad? YUM!
I have never thought to serve asparagus with a dressing. Yogurt dressings are wonderful, I especially love them in eggs fried in brown butter with sage. Now, I will have to make yogurt dressing for asparagus! :)
Ditto what Gypsy said. I thought, what kind of soup do they make in NY anyhow – must be good stuff. (In my defense, it’s 6:30 in the morning and I’m squinting at the impossibly bright screen with one eye.)
Deb! I love the sound of this!! I recently finished my journey into vegetarianism and am always looking for fresh ideas. I LOVE that turquoise bowl that the coleslaw is in- my MOM had that set of bowls!! I must find out where it is!! :)
I love the Farmer’s Market when it opens. And this dish looks great! I’m always looking for new desserts that use asparagus.
Love the idea of pan roasting. In addition to grilling, I often oven roast. I will certainly try the pan roast method next.
These kinds of salads are what you are best at, for me, at least. Thank you.
This looks fabulous! I am going to peel the ends of my asparagus next time. I have never tried that; I hate feeling like I am wasting so much of each spear when I snap off the tough ends. Thanks for the tip.
i am so so thankful for farmer’s markets. how lucky are we to have access to them?!?! So.Lucky. woof. i do have a question, reference the recipe – is there any good, general substitution for lemons? my 4 year old has *quite* a few food allergies, including ALL CITRUS (suckety). we’ve been able to mix/match/substitute for everything else, but DUDE. there’s nothing like lemon…or is there? yer thoughts would be hugely appreciated. be well and enjoy the market!
Just made this for lunch – DELISH! Totally wonderful. Even blanched the almonds myself ;)
Deb,
Long time reader/lurker, 1st time posting. I live in Texas, where it seems almost Texas law that one must have a grill or a bar-be-que pit. Since I live in an apartment, such items are not allowed. I’ve compensated for the grill by using a panini press. It’s great to use for sandwiches, but also works wonders when you want to “grill” asparagus, shish kabobs, shrimp and other veggies. This past Holiday weekend I grilled shrimp, veggies, pineapple all on skewers on the panini press. It didn’t overheat my small apartment & we could snack pool side after everything was cooked.
I adore asparagus! This recipe looks and sounds delectable!
@Shadymama-
Have you tried subbing vinegar for lemon juice?
Divine!
I live in Germany, where the white asparagus season has hit its stride. As soon as you skip Berlin’s city limits, every other roadside stand is selling locally grown weisser Spargel. By the time summer rolls around, I’ve had so much white asparagus I don’t want another bit until next year. But green asparagus… now this is a lovely thing again.
@rebecca – oh, hi, that’s embarassing! of course that’d be a good substitute, eh? acidic, puckery, good – thank you thank you thank you! i can’t believe i hadn’t thought of that – xo!
This was great! I tweaked it by adding some fresh tarragon to the yogurt dressing and sprinkling a bit of za’tar over it. It had real zing, which contrasted very well with the sliced eggs. Definitely a keeper.
That looks like a great way to put a little bit of summer flare in the diet. Here in South America its winter and I havn{t seen any fresh asparagus in a long time.
@Shadymama: Or how about sumac? Nice and tangy.
Asparagus and rhubarb were my first market buys, so your last two posts have been quite timely!
I had pan roasted asparagus with fried eggs for breakfast this morning. I’ve seen so many good recipes for the rhubarb I can’t decide which to do, but I think I’ll start with your snacking cake. Hello, spring!
Oh my goodness! I was just thinking not a half hour ago about green beans and almonds, and then i realized i had asparagus from the garden and i should try that instead– great minds think alike!
Asapragus is abundant out here, so we use it often – a smoked trout tart is nice – I have special long narrow faience dishes for asparagus.
Your presentation is gorgeous — did you intentionally not coat the spears with dressing or was that just for looks?
HI Kathleen — Thank you. The dressing is thick and I didn’t want those spears to get soggy so most of it is slicked against the bottom of the serving dish and a little is dolloped on top.
I totally understand this. I have been so loving how your recipes seem to coincide with exactly what is fresh in my co-op each week. My 10-month old was delighted when I created a funny little scene by doing a little cheer when I turned a corner and found the asparagus for the first time this year. . .
There is no going wrong with roasted asparagus and that cheese + lemon sounds like it would be divine together!
Perfect timing. Asparagus purchased at today’s Farmer’s Market in St. Paul, Mn. Greek yogurt, lemon, and besides the garlic, I have garlic scapes to put in as well. Tomorrow’s dinner. Plus tiny baby new potatoes; I think they would be good with this dressing also. Will use slivered almonds cause that’s what I have.
oh my goodness, amazing! and your post was hilarious :) farmers market nerds unite!
Asparagus is very commonly paired with some sort of meat dish for dinner in my household and while I looooove asparagus in all forms, sometimes my sauteed asparagus with garlic and salt and pepper just doesn’t cut it. I love your recipe! love, love love! It has already ignited my asparagus flame. Thanks, lady!
Overstocking of new, fresh produce is so common the first few days! It reminds me of the first day of snow, where everything is white and perfect and magical, then a few days later there´s only complaining about the dirt and the watery roads! But then, asparagus can only be eaten in season. A perfect recipe for that!
Beautiful pictures, as usual! Seems like the first one is upside down though, or are my eyes fooling me?
You are a genious! So I grilled some asparagus last night on my indoor grill. I didn’t actually make your recipe – I simply drizzled mine with a bit of homemade honey-mustard dressing. All the same – it tasted like spring on a plate! It was still crispy but just cooked enough to bring out the best of the flavors. Thanks again for sharing this brilliant method!
it looks fantastic, yummi. :)
my mouth is watering ..
I recognized the broccoli slaw right away as we’ve made (and greedily consumed) it three times in the last two weeks! So yummy.
I think I am going to use this recipe as a jumping off point for a dinner salad using hearts of romaine as the base. I’ll cut the asparagus into pieces and add that to the salad along with the eggs, chopped almonds, and some sliced avocado. Then I’ll thin the dressing a little somehow to top it all off.
The last photo doesn’t look typical of your style, but I love it!
just moved into that neighborhood! maybe i’ll see you at the market!
Your “two years ago” link for the root beer float cupcakes is the very first post I ever had the privilege of reading on SmittenKitchen! I can’t believe how quickly those two years have passed, and how many of your (delicious!) recipes I’ve managed to cook in that amount of time. Just tonight, in fact, I made “not your mother’s coleslaw.” (Obviously, it was amazing, and like so many of your posts that I’ve mentally archived for too long before making I berated myself a bit for waiting so long to try it out. Also, I used a smidge less mayo and swapped both mustards for Trader Joe’s garlic and mustard aioli and I strongly suggest that at some point you do the same, for it was delicious).
Hi Deb, I tried the potato knish dough in my Beijing Kitchen, http://www.ladyandpups.com/2012/06/03/asian-hot-pocket-eng/, but it didn’t come out with the “marble cracking” like yours. I substituted 1/4 of vegetable oil with duck fat. Was the cracking on the surface a result of the pie dough “puffing” in the oven? Does that mean I should add more baking powder? Thanks for your time!
Mandy — Really? They look great, similar to mine. I had open tops, which I think resulted in extra cracking.
I have everything on hand for this except the asparagus, will definitely be trying this week! Looks delicious.
And there really is nothing better than fresh produce, and a perfectly ripe strawberry. My mouth is watering at the thought!
This look amazing. My Dad has been growing asparagus for a few years now and i swear by the fresh stuff. And last year he grew some amazing peppers and made homemade chipolte. This will definitely be on the summer menu. Thanks for doing what you do amazingly well!!
Oh my gosh Deb, I have that same blue bowl with the roosters. I love it! Also, I am making this dish as I write this. Thanks for another great recipe!
How interesting! I never would have thought of yogurt sauce on asparagus. Yummy! =)
I have always had a deep love for asparagus… I’m throwing a big birthday lunch for my husband in a few weeks and I know he’ll go crazy over this.
Hi Deb,
I just had a heirloom bean salad with red quinoa and a yogurt dressing at Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk. They made it similarly to yours with just a few dollops scattered about. It was delicious and something I want to try on my own. Maybe a curried yogurt?
Anyway, thought your post was timely because yogurt dressings have been on my mind lately.
Beautiful as always!
Oh my goodness–this recipe is AMAZING! So delicious!
Perfect for a busy night- thank you! Even my carnivorous husband found this to be a satisfying light supper with some quinoa on the side.
THANK YOU for this wonderful recipe! Served it for a work luncheon atop a lentil salad. Received rave reviews…will definitely be making it until the last of this season’s asparagus is gone!
You’ve done it again – yet another delicious recipe. AND it came together so quickly, which is great on a weeknight. I added some browned tofu cubes, and my husband and 6-y.o. daughter loved everything. She even had seconds. Our 3 y.o., not so much, but I’m hoping that her palate will expand beyond pasta at some point. Thank you for a beautiful dish that is so satisfying!
Almonds… asparagus… yogurt… hord-boiled eggs…. what more could you ask for?!?!?!? I am cooking steaks for some guests this weekend, and I was just going to grill my asparagus… definitely a change in the menu now that I found this!
yum! that looks delicious! i love asparagus…especially at this time of year! thanks for sharing!
Just made it for lunch today, and it was scrumptious. Used only one egg and nonfat Greek yogurt. Ate the whole thing myself and don’t feel guilty whatsoever.
so delicious
Wow, this looks amazing!
I’ve never seen it prepared any way similar to this. Cool idea for a vegetable that I love so much. I even think I could convince my girlfriend to try this one.
-haydn
Oh Deb, almonds will never again live untoasted in my house.
The dressing did give me some problems, not sure if I did it right. What should I be looking for? It’s thick but is it tart or more garlicky? I think I added to much pimenton (smoked paprika) because I love the stuff and it turned the dressing a bit chalky and harsh. Should it be smooth tasting with the other flavours peeking through or should it be predominantly ..tart/garlicky/hot?
Inka — It should be however you find it delicious. I was going for less of a dressing and more of a seasoned yogurt that you’d dollop about your asparagus. I like it tart, a little garlicky and with just a hint of smokiness.
finally i found a good recipe for my lovely asparagus cos i dont like really hollandaise souce.i cant wait to try it.Thanxxx
Mmm! This is really good. I had a bit of cubed ham in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so I threw that into the mix. Yummy, with or without the ham. Love the asparagus + egg combo, and always jump at the chance to make them together…especially when you presented such an unusual sauce to go with it!
This looks fabulous! I also believe that adding an egg to anything automatically makes it a meal
This is a fantastic recipe and the sauce is good on some other vegetables like grilled zucchini…thnak you so much!
Wow, this looks fantastic. Will save and try very very soon. Thanks!
This made a nice, classy presentation for our BBQ. I too love the skillet roasting method, especially after being raised on limp, boiled asparagus. I accidentally used powdered chipotle pepper instead of smoke paprika so there was quite a kick to the yogurt, but everyone loved it!
I made this last night! it was really good! I didn’t add the HB eggs (it was a side dish, maybe later this week for lunch!) i added grated cucumber to the yogurt dressing to make it more like tzatziki and fuller. i toasted regular almonds (couldn’t find Marcona). My brother finished my plate after i was done! very very yummy and elegant side dish.
This was delicious. Really, really love this dish and plan on making it a few times this summer, especially when entertaining vegetarian friends. It was a hot night for us, so I planned on making just this for supper, not sure if that would fly with my meat-eating husband. He took three helpings and was as happy as could be. My 3 1/2 year old loved it too and so did my 11-month old (well, a variation of for the baby: just set aside some of the dressing without salt or lemon juice, then mashed it with chopped up salt-less asparagus and egg yolk only). I followed the recipe as is, except that I made more asparagus and egg than called for and toasted regular sliced almonds instead of Marconas. I’m also super excited about this new (to me) way of preparing asparagus – a total cinch and fantastic.
Deb – like every recipe of yours I have tried, this was excellent! I used the leftovers to make asparagus fritters with a poached egg the next morning for breakfast!
Great recipe once again. We have hens and I like my eggs with a creamier yolk so would boil them for 5-6 mins max.
Fantastic food photography!!!!!!!!!!!
I made this to share at a potluck today. Easy, quick, pretty and tasty! I ended up scraping what I could salvage from some “fruit on the bottom” small Greek yogurt containers since the plain (which I could have sworn was in the fridge) was not to be found. The smoked paprika masked any hint of blueberry or strawberry which may have lingered in the yogurt and also was much more colorful than the blog pictures show. I made 1/2 batch of dressing and used it all. I used garden variety almonds which were just fine. Now, where’s that intern to create a “Potluck” section in the recipe files?!
This sauce is also divine with broccoli. i’m a big fan!
Hey Deb
I’m just going to go straight ahead and warn you that this will possibly be one of the weirdest comments you have ever received. Well no. I can’t absolutely vouch for that, but it’s quite possible. Anyway. First off let me say how delicious this is. As in gorgeous. And now let me continue by saying thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much you have helped me. Really. You see, it’s a really long story, but basically I had anorexia. Not nice, I know, but hey, no denying the past. Anyway, bizarre as it may seem (and I can’t really explain it) this blog retaught me to love food. How to love and appreciate food – how to love making, preparing, and eating it. Well this blog and Italy. I’m from England live in Germany and go to Italy with my family every year, and reading your blog gives me the same feeling that an italian Nonna might give me when I lick the plate clean. Kind of warm and fuzzy and utterly content that is.
Really my point is just to thank you as you’ve been an enormous help in my recovery. Oh, and to tell anyone that adding a splash of buttermilk and lemon zest to the sauce does no harm.
So thank you very much
xx Hannah
Hi Hannah — Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m flattered to be any part in you getting to enjoy food again, but I think you did all the hard stuff yourself. :)
Re peeling eggs. I HATE THAT JOB. So I came up with a better way. If you are not using them whole or in perfect slices, you can crack the shell, and then with a sharp knife, slice them in half without peeling. With a spoon, you can then scoop out a perfect half egg. No peeling fuss and the eggs can be super fresh. Ta-da!
“If you don’t have smoked paprika around, regular paprika with a pinch of ground cumin will add some smoky depth as well.” Deb, you are a genius!! Though I love smoked foods, I get migraines from them. I am always looking for some way to substitute for that wonderful unique, je ne sais quoi of smoked foods. Cumin in paprika . . . genius, I tell you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I LOVED this! I’ve been wanting to make it since it was first posted and finally got around to it. My husband and my young children were licking their plates. Such a beautiful dish. Thank you!
There seems to be so much confusion about how to hard boil eggs so they will peel easily. There is a right way. I discovered it here:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html
The key thing is a HOT start. Boil the water first, then add the eggs. It was an absolute revelation for me. I’ve tried it with old and new eggs… and as a control, tested eggs from the same dozen in a cold start. There is no comparison.
Evan — Thanks; I’ve actually tried this method since and agree that it works well!
Can’t wait to try this. My mouth is already watering! Thank you for the constant inspiration – just as I get in a rut up pops a delicious dinner idea from you. Thank you also for the Dinner A Love Story tip, I’m looking forward to further exploration.
Deb,
My boyfriend made this for lunches this week and we just had to sneak a small portion tonight – we couldn’t wait! Well our impatience paid off because this dish is AMAZING! It is so flavorful and the greek yogurt gives the sauce a creaminess that makes you feel like you’re getting away with something when you take a few extra dollops. We are also lucky enough to live in Buffalo, so we were able to find Marcona almonds at Wegmans – adding these almonds was pure genius. Thanks for giving me a lunch that I will look forward to all week!!!!
OMG! I just made this, and felt kinda “meh” when I tasted the dressing, but all the pieces together made it so much more! This is delicious. Thanks, Deb! I should’ve known to trust your recipe; you’ve never led me astray.
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I liked the idea of this much more than the reality. I used half chipotle powder as suggested and found it really spicy (even though I love chipotle). I didn’t taste the lemon. On to other asparagus recipes.
Made this a few times, usually without eggs, usually with dry-toasted slivered almonds. Tried it tonight with green beans instead of asparagus – big win. This sauce with any green vegetable is great.
I make this yogurt sauce semi-regularly with labneh now instead of Greek/plain yogurt because I usually have labneh in the fridge. Highly recommend!
awesome recipe laved it
OMG, Deb, this pan-roasting method is a revelation to me! It’s my new favorite way to cook asparagus!!
I had my doubts about whether eggs yogurt and asparagus would work, but this was delicious. The boiled eggs really make the dish. First recipe I’ve tried off your blog!
This is one of our go-to recipes and new favorite asparagus meals! Thank you! It is SO easy and yummy. I love how the yogurt makes it a “healthier” option, as well. I have used various types of yogurt and it always tastes amazing. A slight, fun variation I have tried is using a soft-boiled egg instead. P.S. I agree with your tip on older eggs peeling more easily – I also leave them out to get room temp before boiling. These peel so well and they don’t crack once placed in the water. Thank you again. :)
This dish was a revelation! I’d never pan roasted asparagus this way but the high heat finish really brought a wonderful fresh-charred layer of flavor, along with all the other constituents…instant classic, new fave, thank you!!! ….and that yogurt dressing will be in frequent rotation! Yum, all the way around!
This method of cooking the asparagus, giving them that little char, makes them UNBELIEVABLY delicious. I am so excited I am writing this before even finishing the plate (I put them and the sauce over bulghur).
This one is not making the rotation, sorry. The smoked paprika totally overwhelmed everything else. I see that many people anticipated how good this would taste, but few actually raved about it. A rare swing-and-a-miss for sk.
I make this a LOT and love it! It is great warm or cold for lunch!
Can’t wait to add your newest cookbook to my collection.
Just wanted to note this in case anyone ever comes looking for this particular substitution- I had just the dregs of a Greek yogurt container and what was leftover from sour cream after making tzatziki potato salad. I added the sour cream into the yogurt container and mixed all the ingredients up in there, and it tastes similar enough to the sauce made as written. This is an Easter staple for me these days!