BoomerGirl Diary

I'm crazy about spring vegetables. My favorites are sugar snap peas and asparagus spears. These seasonal beauties are best plucked from the vine or snapped from the earth in your own backyard garden. Sugar snaps and asparagus purchased too many days after they have been harvested simply do not have that fresh-from-the-garden flavor. Your next best options? Buy them at a local farmer's market or harvest them yourself at a you-pick-'em farm. The key is to get these green jewels from the garden to the plate and into the mouth as soon as possible.

When preparing these two vegetables, don't get in the way of nature — prepare sugar snaps or asparagus spears simply by quickly blanching or sautéing them. In celebration of spring, I'm posting a favorite recipe in which you can use either sugar snap peas or asparagus spears — your choice.

New Potatoes with Sugar Snap Peas (or Asparagus Spears), Black Forest Ham and Brown Butter Glaze

1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes

salt & black pepper, to taste

8 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed, or 8 to 10 ounces asparagus spears, sliced into 1 inch pieces

4 ounces Black Forest ham, thinly sliced

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Rinse the potatoes and steam or boil them in their jackets until tender-firm. Cool briefly, then slice them in halves or quarters. Place the potatoes in a large heat-proof serving bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the sugar snap peas or sliced asparagus spears in a pot of boiling water just until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain the vegetables and add them to the bowl of potatoes. Slice or tear the Black Forest ham into bite-size pieces and add to the potato mixture.

To make the brown butter glaze, melt 1/4 cup of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam. Stir constantly until the butter becomes a rich golden brown color and gives off a nutty aroma, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately pour the browned butter over the potato mixture. Toss gently to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm or room temperature. Makes 6 servings.