White Asparagus, Ham and Potato Snow for Spargelzeit

5 from 1 vote

White Asparagus, Ham and Potato Snow for Spargelzeit

We're eagerly latching onto Spargelzeit while it lasts with white asparagus covered in a lemony, light béchamel sauce and served with ham and potato 'snow.'

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Easy asparagus recipe, Easy German asparagus recipe, Easy White Asparagus Recipes, German Asparagus recipe, German recipes with asparagus, German White Asparagus Recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 394kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

600 grams your choice of potatoes I used red potatoes
2 pounds white asparagus
1 pinch sugar
400 milliliters milk
2 garlic cloves
½ organic lemon zest only
1 Tablespoon cornstarch possibly more
160 grams thinly sliced ham I used prosciutto di Parma
salt, pepper & nutmeg to taste
fresh garden herbs optional as garnish

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Peel the potatoes, wash and quarter them and boil in salted water for 15 minutes, or until a fork or a knife glides through them. Drain the potatoes and keep warm, season with more salt.
600 grams your choice of potatoes
Peel the asparagus and trim the ends.
2 pounds white asparagus
Combine milk, whole garlic cloves and lemon peel in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let steep for 10 minutes.
400 milliliters milk, 2 garlic cloves, ½ organic lemon
Cook the asparagus in salted water and a pinch of sugar for 10 to 12 minutes until “al dente.”
1 pinch sugar
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch with some of the hot milk mixture, then return to the milk mixture and bring to a boil. Repeat with more cornstarch if the sauce hasn’t thickened enough. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
1 Tablespoon cornstarch, salt, pepper & nutmeg
Remove the garlic and using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until foamy.
Using the potato ricer or Spätzle press, squeeze the boiled potatoes directly onto four dinner plates and serve with the drained asparagus and ham.
160 grams thinly sliced ham
Evenly distribute the foamy milk sauce over the asparagus and garnish with fresh garden herbs.
fresh garden herbs

Notes

To prevent the potatoes from cooling too much, warm your plates in the oven at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes before serving. If you don’t have a spätzle press or potato ricer, simply mash the potatoes with some milk using a fork.
For the ham, I used salt-cured, dried ham like prosciutto di Parma (or real Black Forest ham if you can get it). You can also use cooked ham if you prefer that.

Nutrition