Amanda Laird: Asparagus with poached egg, bacon and anchovy sauce

Asparagus with poached egg, bacon and anchovy sauce. Photo / Babiche Martens.

Serves 4

Sauce
4 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice to taste
Salt [optional] and freshly ground black pepper

4 fresh free range eggs
1 tsp vinegar
4 rashers free range bacon
6 asparagus spears per person

1 To make the sauce; chop the anchovy and garlic then put in a mortar and pestle with the vinegar and olive oil. Combine to make a sauce then add the juice and seasoning to taste.

2 Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer, add the vinegar then break each egg into the water. Creating a whirlpool effect with a spoon can help the egg whites to form a neat oval. Very fresh eggs are also important. Gently poach for 4 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon.

3 While poaching the eggs, grill the bacon rashers until crispy. Pan fry the trimmed asparagus spears with a little olive oil and seasoning in a covered pan for 5 minutes or until tender.

4 Serve the asparagus topped with bacon, the poached egg and a spoonful of anchovy sauce.