Fast Friday: Asparagus, eggs, and parmesan

Friday!  Fun day!  Sun(ny) day!  So happy to see you again.  :)

It seems that spring is finally here, although the temperature yesterday morning would have you thinking otherwise: 19 degrees, a record low for April 4th in Pittsburgh.  Brrr!  Luckily, the mercury was pushing 55 by day's end and the sun was shining.  Sunshine and (relative) warmth make lunchtime walks much more pleasant.  The next step is a lunchtime walk without a coat.  Fingers crossed, folks.

With sunshine comes daffodils and, to my delight, the first produce of the season.  Gorgeous green asparagus spears caught my eye at the store last week, so that's what I bought.

Did I have a plan for said asparagus?  No, sir.

That means that asparagus was an impulse buy at the grocery store.  I'm fairly certain this is the first time in the history of ever for such a thing to occur.

The pretty asparagus stood, straight and tall, in our refrigerator until Thursday night when I realized around 8 o'clock that I hadn't even thought about dinner.  I was too busy making brownies. 

Priorities, right?

So, in a flash, I trimmed the asparagus, tossed it with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and popped it into an already warm oven.  (See?  The brownies turned out to be key.)

While the stalks were roasting, I cooked up two dippy eggs.  When the asparagus was finished, I plated it, topped with the eggs, and a few shavings of fresh parmesan cheese.

Talk about a perfectly light and satisfying spring dinner!  And so very Italian, if you will.  You know I can't resist eggs in any form and this was no exception.  The runny yolk made the most gorgeous and decadent sauce over the asparagus with a salty bite of the parmesan. 

Even though dinner was a bit of an afterthought and came together in a rush, we took our time enjoying it.  Yes, "we"... even the meat and potatoes husband loved it and requested it again very soon.

Chalk one up for impulse shopping, dessert, and procrastination.  Three perfect adjectives to kick off a weekend, wouldn't you say?


Two years ago: Spinach, onion, bacon frittata
Three years ago: Classic cheesecake


Roasted Asparagus with Eggs and Shaved Parmesan
-serves 1

1/2 bunch asparagus stalks, rinsed and woody stems trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
Garlic salt
Ground black pepper
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Toss asparagus with olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Season with garlic salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium and coat with nonstick spray.  Add one cracked egg at a time and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, flip, and cook until white is completely opaque.  Remove from heat.

Remove asparagus and plate.  Top with eggs and parmesan shavings.  Enjoy immediately!