Bake

Baked Asparagus au Gratin

May  8, 2023
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Photo by MJ Kroeger
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Test Kitchen Notes

A gratin is a great way to showcase delicious, melty Wisconsin Originals. Here, stalks of seasonal asparagus are blanketed with Pleasant Ridge Reserve—a nutty, alpine-style cheese made by Uplands Cheese—then sprinkled with buttery panko breadcrumbs and popped under the broiler for a golden brown crust.

This recipe is a part of Cheese Week—seven days of recipes and stories, all cheese—presented by our friends at Proudly Wisconsin Cheese.Food52

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Ingredients
  • 2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and divided
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 6 ounces Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese, shredded (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
  2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk, garlic salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; cook and whisk for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Gradually whisk in Pleasant Ridge Reserve until melted.
  3. Pour cheese sauce over asparagus. Bake, covered, for 10 minutes. Melt remaining butter; toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle crumb mixture over sauce. Bake, uncovered, for 7 to 9 minutes longer or until asparagus is tender. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve immediately.

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