zzARCHIVE Asparagus Benedict Recipe

Ingredients

500g Jersey Royal potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove
1 lemon
A bundle of asparagus
4 duck eggs, plus 2 yolks
45g butter
A handful of chives

10 mins (prep) | 30 mins (cooking)

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Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Place a large roasting tin on the top shelf of your oven to heat up.

2. Give the potatoes a good scrub and cut them into ½-1cm slices. Toss the spuds into the warmed roasting tin, drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give the tin a shake to coat the potatoes in the seasoned oil. Roast for 25 mins or till golden.

3. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Grate or pare the zest from the lemon and squeeze the juice. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus (if you bend the spears they'll snap in the right spot).

4. When the potatoes are golden, stir the garlic and lemon zest into the tin. Sit the asparagus on top of the potatoes and slide the tin back into the oven 5 mins, or till the asparagus is just tender.

5. Pop the egg yolks into a large bowl with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Season. Melt the butter in a pan. As soon as it's melted, gradually whisk the butter into the egg yolks till you have a creamy sauce. Spoon the sauce into the butter pan. Set aside.

6. Fill a small pan with boiling wate and bring it back to the boil.

7. Crack 1 egg into a small dish. Gently slide the egg into the boiling water. Pop the lid on and cook the egg till the white is set and the yolk is as firm or soft as you like it. \lift the poached egg out of the water with a slotted spoon and set it aside in a bowl. Repeat with the rest of the eggs.

8. Finely chop the chives, saving a few sprigs for later. Mix the chopped chives through the potato and asparagus mix, adding a splash of lemon juice. Divide the spuds and asparagus between a couple of plates and top with the poached eggs. Gently warm the butter sauce and spoon it over the top. Garnish with the reserved chives and a pinch of black pepper.