Have you ever noticed how you can tell time of the year depending on what you see on sale at a local farmer’s market?
In Italy, starting from April till early June it’s asparagus time of the year.
And this creamy and delicious asparagus casserole is one of those simple dishes you can make with asparagus with minimum of effort.
Enhanced with protein salmon and potatoes it makes a perfect filling dish for the whole family.
TOP TIP: Give preference to young thin asparagus. It has more flavor, crunchiness and significantly less waste. You don’t need to cut off as much of off young asparagus as compared to over-mature spears and hence it’s good for the wallet as well.
Full Recipe
Asparagus Casserole With Salmon & Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 bunch (16 oz) fresh asparagus
- 6 oz salmon (fresh or smoked)
- 4 potatoes , medium size
- 2 cups bechamel sauce
- Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon (juice only)
- Salt , pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash asparagus in cold water.
- Cut off tough woody part ends and peel the bottom of the stem with a special asparagus peeler or vegetable peeler.Cut off nice green tips and set aside 8-10 for the top of the casserole.
Cut remaining asparagus in 1 inch cubes. Arrange in a bowl and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. - Wash and peel potatoes. Slice them crosswise into thin ⅛ inch rounds.
- If using fresh salmon, cut it in cubes.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
Arrange asparagus casserole
- Spread 2 tablespoon bechamel sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.
- Layer ⅓ of the potato slices overlapping each other. Spread 2-3 tablespoon of bechamel sauce.
- Layer ½ salmon cubes or thin slices (if using smoked salmon) and top them with ½ of asparagus cubes.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and ground pepper and top with 2-3 tablespoon of bechamel.
- Repeat the process from step 2 twice: layer of potatoes, bechamel, salmon, asparagus cubes, salt pepper, bechamel.
- The last layer top with remaining potato slices, generously covered with bechamel sauce and garnished with asparagus tips you reserved in the beginning.
- Bake in a preheat to 350F oven for 30-40 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Buon Appetito!
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