CRISPY CHEESY LEMON ASPARAGUS WITH FIRED EGGS

This scrumptious dish formed in my mind in the middle of the night. I’ll admit it. I often fall asleep to food. Instead of counting sheep, I count cookies. And, (of course) new recipe ideas. I thought up this recipe because on whim I had bought a bunch of organic asparagus but had no real plans for it. I usually just broil or grill asparagus with olive oil, lemon and salt.

CRISPY CHEESY LEMON ASPARAGUS WITH FIRED EGGS
1 pound of asparagus, white stems chopped off
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 pinches of salt
2 tablespoons of fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of gluten-free bread crumbs
The zest of one large lemon
2 organic eggs cooked over-easy (or sunny-side up depending on preference)
Lemon slices for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your broiler and make sure the rack is on the top level. In a large bowl, toss your trimmed asparagus with olive oil and salt and spread out onto a cookie sheet. Set aside. In a small bowl, toss together the fresh parm, bread crumbs and lemon zest and set aside. Put the asparagus in the oven and broil until the heads start to crisp up and turn brown in spots (about 10 minutes). While the asparagus is cooking, fry up your two eggs over the stove top. I prefer mine over-easy with the yolk cooked to a soft-boil consistency so it’s not oozing out but still very soft. Feel free to do them however you like. When the asparagus is almost done around 8 to 10 minutes, remove the cookie sheet and sprinkle the cheese/bread crumb mixture on top. Broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bread crumbs crisp. Remove asparagus from oven and arrange on a platter or serving plate. Top with the fried eggs and garnish with lemon slices. I added some additional pepper and salt just to the fried eggs and then squeezed fresh lemon juice on top for some extra lemony flavor =)