Asparagus with Fried Egg and Parmesan Cheese

This is an impressive dish that really only takes 10 minutes of your precious time to put together. But – there are 3 things you have to get right in this recipe to earn the title of “impressive”.

Okay, so well….there are only 3 ingredients:

Perfectly crisp-tender asparagus (no overcooked, smushy, soggy spears of sadness)

Perfectly fried egg, sunny-side up with still-runny yolk….

…..and crisp edges

Hand-shaved good quality cheese (please, no cheese from a can)

This is a great recipe as a side dish for dinner or brunch even. If you cook your egg just right, when you break into the egg, the golden yolk pours out and slowly coats the asparagus spears.

The best way to have perfectly cooked asparagus is to start with good quality spears. After you cut or snap off the tough end of the stalk, the bottom-ends of the spear should look like this:

See how milky translucent the center of the bottom is? It should not be dried or hollow. The tips of the asparagus should be tight, firm and closed, like a brand new artist’s paint brush.

If the tips look all frayed like a 3-year old tried to paint the floor with them (ahem, lady with the undisciplined boy at the grocery store this morning)…. well….then I advise you to pass.