Asparagus pancakes with chive dip

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g asparagus, green or white
• 500 g potatoes
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 500 g cream cheese
• 100 ml milk
• some lemon juice
• 1 bunch of chives
• Butter or oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

simple, vegetarian

Peel the potatoes. Peel the asparagus and trim off the woody ends. Cut the asparagus into thin rings and coarsely grate the potatoes. Whisk the eggs and season with salt, pepper, sugar, and nutmeg. Squeeze the potatoes thoroughly in a cheesecloth or sieve and add them to the egg mixture along with the asparagus. Mix the cream cheese with the milk and a little lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Rinse the chives, shake dry, and finely slice them into rings. Add them to the cream cheese. Heat the butter or oil in a non-stick pan, add the asparagus potato mixture a tablespoon at a time, and fry over medium heat until small fritters form (about 4-5 minutes per side). Serve the fritters with the chive dip. For us, this is a main course, but I can also imagine it as a starter, perhaps with a slice of smoked salmon or a shrimp. The sky’s the limit.