Recipe Background
The secret to great asparagus? Layering! Outstanding Asparagus Bake understands just that. It partners the distinct asparagus flavor with crispy bacon, melty, smoky cheese, hearty hard-boiled eggs, and a homemade cream sauce! Now that's how you do vegetables! The Outstanding Asparagus Bake will have you declaring it to be an exemplar of the side dish category! And it is!
The secret to great asparagus? Layering! Outstanding Asparagus Bake understands just that. It partners the distinct asparagus flavor with crispy bacon, melty, smoky cheese, hearty hard-boiled eggs, and a homemade cream sauce! Now that's how you do vegetables! The Outstanding Asparagus Bake will have you declaring it to be an exemplar of the side dish category! And it is!
Ingredients
- 2 bunches asparagus (about 2 pounds) woody ends removed and discarded, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 thick slices bacon chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- nutmeg freshly grated, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- coarse salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs hard-boiled and halved lengthwise
- 1 cup buttery crackers coarsely crushed
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese shredded
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Position an oven rack into the upper third position.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Prepare an ice bath.
- Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until just tender and bright green, about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the asparagus to the ice bath to shock them and stop the cooking process.
- Drain the asparagus.
- Return the pot to medium heat.
- Add the bacon and cook while stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.
- Drain the drippings from the pot.
- Add the butter to the pot and melt over medium heat until foamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the onion, the nutmeg, the cayenne, and the salt and cook while stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook while stirring occasionally until the flour is toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard.
- Gradually whisk in the milk.
- Bring the sauce to a boil while whisking often.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Reserve 1 cup of the asparagus and layer the remaining asparagus over the sauce.
- Arrange the bacon in an even layer on top of the asparagus layer.
- Layer on the egg slices, the cracker crumbs, and the remaining sauce in the baking dish.
- Arrange the reserved asparagus on top of the casserole, down the center of the casserole.
- Sprinkle the Gruyère cheese evenly on top.
- Season with the black pepper.
- Bake until the sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes.
- Turn the oven to the broil setting.
- Broil until the top is golden-brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Allow the casserole to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Serve.
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