Presented by Chef Willem Reinders of Willem's Table

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. white asparagus (or the freshest local asparagus you can get)
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
• 1/4 c. freshly minced fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 lb. small Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 lb. cooked ham, in 1/8th slices (Black Forrest)

Directions

Peel the potatoes and boil them in a pot of hot, salted water for about 25 minutes. In another large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to remove the thick woody skin of each white asparagus stalk. Start from just below the tip of the asparagus to the stem end and trim the bottom end off.

When the water boils, lower the heat, add the asparagus, and simmer until they are tender, about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness. Reserving the liquid, remove the asparagus and drain on a kitchen towel. Be careful not to break the delicate asparagus tips.

If the hard-cooked eggs are completely cold, plunge them for 1 minute into the reserved asparagus cooking water to reheat and then peel. Chop the eggs. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan and pour into small dish to be used for dipping. Warm the ham in a little of the hot asparagus cooking liquid and arrange on the warm plates.

Arrange the asparagus on top of the ham and cover each portion with the chopped egg and parsley, leaving the tips uncovered. Serve the boiled potatoes on the side with the melted butter. Serve immediately while everything is still warm.

Many Belgian and Dutch families serve the asparagus separately with a sauceboat of melted butter and little dishes holding soft-cooked eggs.

Happy Cooking!