Grilled Asparagus

with Broken Chile Sauce and Potato Ribbons

Makes 4 servings

Usually when we make sauces, we want a consistent, homogenous texture. But sometimes you want a sauce to deliver two textures. In this case, I’ll cook a puree until it “breaks” and separates into an intensely flavored oil and a thicker paste. The smoky broken chile sauce in this dish was inspired by harissa, the North African chile paste, as well as some of the chile-based sauces we made at Tabla. It’s a great condiment to keep on hand; spoon it over grilled lamb, fried eggs, broccoli, green beans, or a rice bowl.

Broken Chile Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour. Strain and set the softened chiles aside, reserving the liquid.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the oil and annatto seeds over medium heat until the oil reaches 180°F. Turn off the heat and let sit for 2 hours. Strain and return half the oil to the pot, reserving the other half to use later. Add the shallots and garlic to the pot and cook over low heat until both are soft and lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender along with the softened chiles, vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1¼ cups of the chile soaking liquid. Puree until smooth, scraping down the side of the blender as needed.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the remaining annatto oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook until they’ve bloomed and begin to pop, then add the coriander, Aleppo, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the chile puree and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. After a few minutes, the oil will “break,” and separate from the puree. Cook for 2 minutes longer, then transfer to a bowl and let cool. The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to use; let warm to room temperature before using.

Potato Ribbons

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of oil to 300°F. Use a Microplane ribbon grater to grate the potatoes into a bowl of cold water (to rinse off the starch), then drain and lay out on a clean kitchen towel. Gently squeeze the potatoes until dry. Working in batches, fry the potato ribbons until golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer the fried potatoes to paper towels and season with salt. Continue until you have about ½ cup of crispy ribbons.

For Serving

  • 1 bunch asparagus, woody stems trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped olives
  • Lemon wedge
  • ⅓ cup Broken Chile Sauce
  • Potato Ribbons
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
  • Flaky sea salt

Prepare a hot grill or preheat a grill pan over high heat. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and grill until lightly charred and just tender, 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the asparagus).

Spread a stripe of yogurt on the bottom third of a serving platter and top with the asparagus, lined up in a row. Sprinkle the olives over the asparagus. Squeeze the lemon over. Spoon the broken chile sauce over the asparagus, and sprinkle with the potato ribbons, herbs, and flaky salt. Serve.

The Takeaway

I love the airy crispness of tempura flakes, which you’ll often find surrounding elaborate sushi rolls. But I wanted to make a gluten-free version, so I grated some potatoes into hot oil and was thrilled with the result. The key to achieving the light, flaky texture is to use a ribbon-style grater (Microplane and other brands make these). If you don’t have one, use the large holes on a box grater, but the final product will be a bit denser and chewier. The potato ribbons also make a great salad topper and garnish for soup and rice.