The Germans take their asparagus VERY seriously. It basically has its own season, which starts in early spring and lasts until the end of June. When local asparagus is at its peak, farm stands pop up all over the country for the sole purpose of selling asparagus, and every self respecting restaurant, from Michelin stars to corner pubs, produces an “asparagus menu” with various dishes featuring this most beloved veggie. But once the season is over, it’s really over, and no more will be seen until the following spring. Which is why I decided to tackle Dorie’s Bacon, Egg, and Asparagus Salad one last time before the season ends.

German asparagus is white, or occasionally purplish, but rarely green. On my latest trip to the market I found a nice pile of fresh plump locally grown white asparagus, and one or two lonely bundles of tired looking green asparagus which had been imported from Mexico. My choice was an easy one.

As for Dorie’s recipe, we have made this twice now and really enjoyed it both times. But both times I have also been amazed by how many pots & pans are required for a seemingly simple salad. Here is a shot of my stove in mid preparation; I’ve got asparagus cooking, walnuts toasting, and eggs poaching, and this doesn’t even include the pan for the bacon which I had already prepared earlier…

But if you ignore the washing up factor, this salad is fairly simple to put together, and it is oh so tasty! It was the perfect farewell to this year’s asparagus season. Until next year, auf Wiedersehen!