Grilled white asparagus with jerky, a seasonal recipe
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Total: 50 min Diners: 2
Cooking with white asparagus is extremely easy if we use cooked asparagus, as in this case, those that come in cans. But cooking them is not a complicated task, beyond peeling them well and giving them the optimum cooking point, and now that we are in full season of asparagus from Navarra, going to the greengrocer’s and getting our bunch is a great option.
It is also great to order a large box, cook them and bottle them to have them for the rest of the year, or vacuum them and freeze them because they are perfect and can be thawed at any time. Because yes, it must be said, those that come in cans usually have a cooking point more overcooked than we would give them at home (or than I would give them, I like them slightly al dente).
Normally, white asparagus is served cooked and accompanied by mayonnaise, sometimes vinaigrette, or simply with olive oil and salt. However, more and more of them are being grilled with a little butter or finished grilled in any barbecue. But they are also perfect for stuffing with seafood or for stuffing with ham and cheese in batter, a very traditional dish in the gastronomy of Spain. Do not discard the peelings and stalks because with them you can prepare a delicious white asparagus cream with bacon.
In this case, we will toast the asparagus – already cooked – in a little butter and we are going to accompany them with a mashed potato and cheese called aligot, very typical in France, and some crispy jerky as a glass, which I also buy it ready to use but you can make it very easy in the microwave or in the oven, dehydrating the jerky until it is crispy.
How to make grilled white asparagus with beef jerky and aligot
Ingredients
Cooked white asparagus Extra Thick, 4 u Crispy jerky chips, 20 g Butter, 30 g Salt, c/s Black pepper, c/s Radish sprouts, to taste
For the aligot
New potato, 250 g Butter, 20 g Tome Fraîche (or gruyere) cheese, 100 g Sour cream (fresh), 50 g Salt, c/s Ground black pepper, c/s
Step 1
The first thing we will do is to prepare the aligot which takes the most time. To do this, heat water in a saucepan until it boils and cook the potatoes in their skins for 20 to 30 minutes, until when we introduce a knife or a toothpick we notice that they are very tender.
Step 2
Once cooked, peel the potatoes taking care not to burn your fingers, as they will burn a lot, and put them in a large bowl with a little salt and black pepper.
Step 3
Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher, there is a gadget called a potato press that is ideal for this. We have to mash everything very well to get a fine mash without lumps.
Step 4
With the potatoes already mashed add the butter cut into squares and mix well so that the butter melts and joins the potatoes.
Step 5
When everything is mixed it is time to add the sour/fresh cream and put it all in a saucepan to heat the preparation over low heat, we do not want it to burn and we must be careful.
Step 6
When the puree is hot, very hot, stirring constantly, we will add the cheese little by little so that it melts into the puree; it will give us an elastic texture totally characteristic of this aligot. If you cannot find Tome Fraiche, you can always use a similar cheese such as Raclette or Gruyere. Finally, add salt and black pepper. And you will have to keep the aligot warm, because if it remains cold it loses the characteristic elasticity we are talking about. If we see that we need, we will put the electric mixer to finish mixing everything.
Step 7
Drain the asparagus very well and heat a frying pan with the butter and a few drops of oil, when it is very hot put the asparagus and brown them evenly all over. Serve over the aligot and finish with the crispy jerky on top, chopped so that they are distributed throughout the dish.
