How to make grilled asparagus and lemon with crushed jersey royal potatoes and crispy prosciutto

Make the most of these spring season ingredients that perfectly complement each other

(Julia Platt Leonard)

Hands down, two of spring’s seasonal stars are asparagus and jersey royal potatoes.

They’re perfect paired together, either simply boiled or steamed with a bit of butter or dressed up with a hollandaise sauce.

While we think of asparagus as being delicate, it can handle the heat of grilling whether you’re brave enough to venture outside or opt for a grill pan inside.

Crush the potatoes lightly, roast at a high heat with some olive oil and you have the perfect side dish or a main for two.

Prosciutto – crisped in a hot frying pan is a nice touch – but leave it out for a vegan dish.

Grilled asparagus and lemon with crushed jersey royal potatoes and crispy prosciutto

Serves 4

1 bunch of asparagus, about 225-250g
200g jersey royal potatoes, washed but not peeled
3 slices of prosciutto, about 50g​
1 lemon, washed and cut into ¾ cm rounds
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220C

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and either steam or boil until just cooked. They should be slightly stiff as they’ll cook more when you grill them. Refresh under cold water and set aside.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until you can just insert a knife or skewer into them. Drain and place in a baking or roasting pan. Take a fork and press the tines down on each potato to crush lightly. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and drizzle 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes.

Place in the preheated oven and roast for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Quickly cook the prosciutto slices until crispy and then flip and cook on the other side. This will take only a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and place the crispy prosciutto on a plate and set aside.

Place a grill pan on the heat. Lightly brush both the asparagus and the lemon slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill the asparagus first, turning periodically so you get nice grill marks on all sides. Remove and do the same with the lemon slices.

Remove the crispy potatoes from the oven and plate with the asparagus and lemon slices. Break up the prosciutto slices into smaller pieces and add to the vegetables. Serve warm.

@juliapleonard