Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Lemon-Mustard Sauce

Author Notes

I love roasted asparagus, and I'm ready to eat massive amounts of it as soon as it comes back into season each spring. And you know what I love just as much as roasted asparagus? Poached Eggs.

It's my sincere belief that any meal or dish can be improved upon if a poached egg is placed on top. I've found that they're good on leftover lentils and beans, salads, and even pizza. And it wasn't until recently that I feel like I mastered poached eggs in the oh-yeah-I-can-get-this-right-every-time way. The secret? I stopped swirling the freakin' water. I'd been trained to get the water simmering, then put a spoon in and swirl vigourously until you have a tornado working in the pot. Sorry Bill Paxton, put away your sensors, there's no twister in my kitchen. Yep, I just referenced the 1996 classic cinematic adventure, Twister.

Well, the swirl method just really didn't work for me. I never got a nicely-shaped egg in the end. There were always, like, egg tendrils that escaped and got lost in the pot. Once I stopped swirling the water and instead just started sliding the eggs (slowwwwwllllly) into completely still water, my poached egg win-to-fail ratio improved greatly. Just don't forget the vinegar. That's key, too. Use any vinegar you have on hand.

The sauce here can sort of be thought of as a lazy-man's hollandaise, without the massive amounts of butter. So maybe it's not like hollandaise at all. But, it's lemony and has a mustard kick to it, and the tarragon adds a little herbal note. The thing about this sauce is that it seems like it was way harder to make than it actually was. And doesn't everybody like to impress their relatives at brunch? —foxeslovelemons

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Foxesloveslemons is a cook and photographer living in Michigan.
WHAT: Roasted asparagus, plus its new best friends.
HOW: Roast your asparagus with salt and pepper; whisk together your sauce on the stove; poach your eggs. Then eat it and rejoice in spring.
WHY WE LOVE IT: As foxesloveslemons says, this sauce is much easier to throw together than it seems—and is the perfect lemony, mustardy compliment to the asparagus and the runny poached egg. We can't think of a better way to welcome spring. —The Editors