Fränkischer Spargel mit Sauce Hollandaise, Kartoffelgratin und gegrillte Nürnberger Rostbratwürste

Every year lovers of this “White Gold” eagerly await the first harvest. There are many more refined variations of asparagus dishes, but you cannot do without this one! And by the way, anyone who believes that only wine is suitable for drinking with asparagus should try eating it with a glass of Pils lager! Its gently bitter flavour goes equally well with that of the asparagus as well as with that of a light sparkling crystal wheat beer.

1. Peel the asparagus starting at the head, at first rather thinly and somewhat thicker towards the bottom. Cut off the lower end of the asparagus (approx. 1 cm) while at the same time filling a tall pan with water and bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and a piece of butter about the size of a walnut into the water. Add the asparagus and leave to boil for about 10 - 15 min. To check whether the asparagus is ready, simply find the thickest part of the asparagus and cut off a piece at the end. If it is quite easy to do and there are no threads left hanging, the asparagus is done. Take out the fully cooked asparagus and leave to cool. 
2. For the potato gratin, finely chop the onion and the garlic then mix with the cheese, sour cream, the cream and the seasonal herbs to make a sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Wash and peel potatoes and cut into really thin sheets. Layer the potato slices in a buttered casserole dish. Add some of the cheese sauce between the layers, pour the rest (about a third) all over it and then sprinkle some fresh parsley or kitchen herb mixture over it. Bake the potato gratin at approx. 190°C (recirculation) in the oven for about 40 minutes.
3. For the hollandaise sauce, melt the butter in a pan but do not heat it. Put the egg yolk with the lemon juice, water and salt into a pan and place this into the hot water bath. Mix with a beater (or an electric mixer) until the mixture is creamy. Remove the pan from the water bath and now add the liquid butter while stirring continuously. Finally, add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste and serve immediately.
4. Cook the Nuremberg Bratwurst sausages on the charcoal grill until they are delicious.