Vegan Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce and Potatoes

May 09, 2021

reading time: 2 min

Happy Sunday, folks! And happy Mother's Day, at least in Germany :)

I don't post nearly as many savory recipes on here as I do sweet recipes these days, and that's partly due to the fact that I don't enjoy cooking as much as baking (my fiancé J is the cook in our home!), and also because I find it way harder to take pretty pictures of savory food. With cakes and cookies it's easier for me to create a photogenic background with fruits and flowers and all sorts of (edible) props, but with main courses I'm not that creative somehow (yet).

Nonetheless, in today's blogpost I want to share a classic spring dish here in Germany with you, and that's white asparagus with Sauce Hollandaise (aka Dutch sauce) served with new potatoes. This was actually J's first time eating white asparagus (he wasn't a big veggie eater before we met), and he really liked it!

(By the way, this is also a very fitting recipe for Beltane, the wiccan festival of love, passion and creativity, firstly because it falls into asparagus season - at least where I live - and also because asparagus is traditionally associated with Beltane, along with other aphrodisiac foods such as almonds, strawberries, vanilla, nutmeg, etc.)

To me, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and potatoes is always a very special meal because asparagus is in season for only a short time, and it's always quite expensive. If you haven't tried white asparagus before, give this recipe a try!

GERMAN ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Preparation time: 25 mins
Main ingredients: asparagus, potatoes, margarine, soy cream
difficulty level: easy
serves: 2
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, low-sugar

Ingredients

Asparagus:
1 kg white asparagus
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (I use xylitol)
squeeze of lemon juice

Sauce Hollandaise:
100 ml soy cream
pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp flour
generous squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp organic lemon zest
2 tsp yellow mustard
250 ml vegetables stock
120 g vegan butter or margarine
(optional) dash of white whine
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp of light sugar (I use xylitol)

also:
500 g organic new potatoes
handful of fresh parsley, to garnish

Instructions

For the potatoes, rinse the potatoes. If using organic potatoes, you can leave the skin on (to save time and get the full nutrients). Otherwise peel them. Cut in half or quarters. Place into a large pot, fill with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

For the asparagus, rinse and peel the asparagus. Cut off the stringy ends, about 2 cm. Fill a large saucepan with water, add sugar, salt and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Place the asparagus in the pot and simmer on low heat with the lid closed for about 10-15 min.

While the potatoes and asparagus are simmering, prepare the Hollandaise sauce.

For the Hollandaise sauce, place the vegan butter or margarine into a small saucepan. Gently warm up until melted, then add the remaining sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. If the sauce is too thin, add more flour or cornstarch. Keep stirring everything well, then turn down heat, and season to taste.

To assemble, drain asparagus and potatoes. Arrange on plates and drizzle with Dutch sauce. Serve warm, garnished with fresh parsley.