Spuds and asparagus are a must for the Christmas table, but don't be stingy with the salt and butter!
Ingredients
—1 kg (about 2¼ pounds) new potatoes – I like pink skinned yellow-fleshed potatoes 600g (about 1¼ pounds) asparagus, trimmed 50-70g (2-3 ounces) butter ½ cup snipped chives Salt, flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
—1 Wash new potatoes. If they’re freshly dug the skin should scrape off, but if not, cook them unpeeled. If the potatoes are an assortment of sizes, cut the larger ones in half or into quarters. Put the potatoes in a steaming basket, sprinkle with salt and steam until just tender (or cook them in a pot of gently boiling salted water until tender). If the potato skins seem tough after cooking, remove them.
Jersey bennes
2 Meanwhile, cook asparagus for a few minutes in gently boiling salted water (or until done to your liking). Drain and cut into short lengths.
3 Dish the potatoes into a heated serving bowl. Roughly crush with a fork, dot with most of the butter, add the chives, sprinkle generously with sea salt, and grind over a little pepper to taste, then rough things up a bit with the fork. Toss asparagus with the remaining butter and spoon over the top, scraping in all the butter. Serve immediately.
Photography
Main image of buttery potatoes and asparagus Aaron McLean http://www.aaronmclean.com
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