Traditional White Asparagus Recipe with Fool-Proof Hollandaise, Ham and Potatoes

Start the potatoes. Peel your potatoes and cut them into evenly sized pieces. If they’re small, you can leave them whole. Place them in a pot, cover with water (about 1 inch above the potatoes), salt generously (like pasta water!), and bring to a boil.

Cook the asparagus. Bring a second large pot of water to a boil and add the sugar, salt, lemon juice, and butter. Once boiling, gently add the peeled asparagus. Cook for 10–15 minutes, or until a sharp knife slides through easily.

Make the hollandaise. In a food processor, blend together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth and slightly frothy (about 1 minute).
With the motor running, slowly drizzle in your hot butter using the drip hole in the lid. Go slow to help it emulsify! This should take around 2 minutes.
Season with a pinch of cayenne, mustard powder, and more salt to taste.

Plate it. Once the asparagus and potatoes are done, use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the asparagus. No need to rinse because that buttery, lemony cooking water because you don't want to rinse off the flavor of the cooking water.
Arrange half a pound of asparagus on each plate. Add the potatoes to one side. I like to toss mine with fresh herbs like parsley and chives, and your sliced ham to the other.
Spoon the hollandaise generously over the asparagus and garnish with more herbs if you’d like.