Asparagus gratin with ham & cheese – hearty oven dish for spring

How to prepare

Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat) and lightly grease a shallow baking dish with butter. Wash the asparagus, trim the ends, and peel the lower third of the stalks. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil to just cover the asparagus.

Cover the asparagus and cook for 5–6 minutes. Remove from the water (reserve the water) and drain. Wrap 2–3 asparagus spears in each slice of ham and place the rolls tightly together in the baking dish.

Stir 100 ml of the asparagus cooking water with the herb cream cheese until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Wash the chives, shake dry, and finely chop. Stir into the sauce. Coarsely grate the cheese. Pour the sauce over the asparagus rolls. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Bake in the center of the hot oven for about 20 minutes. About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, prepare the fried eggs. To do this, heat the oil in a non-stick pan.

Place two dollops of mustard in the pan, leaving some space between them, and smooth them out slightly. Crack one egg onto each dollop. Season the egg whites with salt and fry the eggs until fried over medium heat. Season with pepper and serve with the gratin.