Slim asparagus salad with cooked ham – warm or cold –

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g white asparagus, peeled, in pieces, cooked until al dente (1 kg raw)
• 50 g sugar
• Salt
• Drops of oil
• dill
• 100 g potatoes, peeled, cooked until very soft
• 2 medium-sized eggs, hard-boiled
• 130 g cream cheese
• 1 small onion(s), red
• Vinegar or lemon juice
• 70 g cooked ham
• pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Peel 1 kg of raw white asparagus and cut into diagonal pieces, setting the heads aside. Place the asparagus pieces in a suitable pot and bring to a boil with the sugar, salt, oil, and dill. Now add the asparagus heads and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until al dente. Taste the pot; if they need another minute, turn off the power anyway and leave in the hot water; they’re still cooking. Reserve the cooking water. Peel 1 medium-sized potato and cook until very soft (I cook them in small pieces to speed things up). Hard-boil 2 eggs, rinse well, and peel them. Mash the potatoes and hard-boiled egg yolks against the side of a bowl with a fork (to make mashed potatoes). Whisk the potato and egg mixture with about 1/2 ladle of the asparagus cooking water until smooth, then stir in the cream cheese, if desired. Season to taste with a little mild vinegar or lemon juice. The consistency should be a bit too thick, as the asparagus will still have some water in it. Finely dice 1 small red onion and add it to the bowl. Slice the cooked ham and add it. Mix everything together. Add the drained, warm asparagus last to preserve the delicate pieces. Serve warm or cold. It goes very well with grilled meat. Asparagus season is also barbecue season, and this asparagus salad has just 170 kcal per serving (approx. 300g) and is delicious. It’s easy to prepare ahead of time. It only keeps for 1 day, though. But there won’t be any leftovers – I promise. Calories and values: 697.8 kcal, 45.6 g protein (g), 29.5 g fat (g), 59.0 g carbohydrates (g)