Poached Eggs, Asparagus & Beet Greens

I love poached eggs. Love. They're silky, the yolk serves as a savory sauce and they go well with a host of vegetables for an easy and fresh dinner. I don't know where I first saw someone put them on top of asparagus, so I have no recipe to cite, but it's been a weeknight staple for a few years now. There were beets in last week's box, which means we had some beet greens. A few spoiled by the time I got around to using them, but the ones that were left were a nice complement to the asparagus. In the time it took to cook the asparagus, the greens got a little crispy, which added a new texture to the dish.

A final note: I sometimes roast the asparagus, covered in a little olive oil. I'll post a recipe for that at some point, because it has a different flavor profile but still absolutely works with the eggs.



Total time to cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Four eggs
1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
1 cup beet greens (discard the stem and roughly chop)
1 tbsp margarine*
Salt and pepper

*I don't cook with butter, but of course it would work with the real stuff.

Steps:
- Fill a medium pot with water and heat over medium heat.
- As water is heating, melt butter in a medium saucepan.
- Once butter is mostly melted, add the asparagus and beet greens.
- As vegetables are cooking, water should be coming to a boil.
- Once water is boiling, turn down the heat to the lowest setting.
- Add eggs to the water - I usually crack them straight over the pot, but this leads to messy eggs. When I care about the appearance, I'll crack each egg in a cup, stir the water and then add the egg in the middle, which usually creates a better shape.
- Let eggs cook for two and a half minutes.
- Remove asparagus and beet greens once the asparagus are tender but still have some crunch.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs and plate.
- Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the eggs, and serve.