Tonight I am cooking asparagus gratin. I don't think I like asparagus, but anything covered in cheese and bacon crumbles can't be all bad, right? Plus, it's a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, so it's probably good.
Ingredients
2 lbs thin asparagus
3c water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbls unsalted butter
2 tbls flour
3/4 c parmesan cheese, grated and divided
1/2 c Monterey jack cheese, shredded (I used cheddar jack)
1/2 lb bacon, cut into pieces and fried
Directions
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and pre-heat broiler. Line broiler safe baking dish with paper towels or a lint free kitchen cloth. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and set both stalks and ends aside.
Bring water to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus ends and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook covered, for 5 minutes.
Melt butter in now empty skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in reserved asparagus water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in ½ cup Parmesan and Monterey jack until smooth. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
Remove paper towels from baking dish, blotting any excess water remaining. Drizzle sauce over center of asparagus and top with remaining Parmesan. Top with bacon pieces. Broil until cheese is golden and asparagus is tender, 4-8 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
Well...I was right. I'm not a fan of asparagus. But the sauce was wonderful. I will try to find other vegetables to use with this amazing cheese and bacon sauce. We paired the asparagus with sirloins on the grill and the sirloins turned out perfect. Anyone who likes asparagus and cheese should love this dish.
Posted with Blogsy