Asparagus Salad with Tonnato Sauce

How to prepare asparagus salad with tonnato sauce

1. Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes in boiling water. Remove, drain and quickly run under cold water to cool. Cut into bite-sized segments.
2. Slice the red onion into thin scales and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and let macerate for another 5-10 minutes.
3. For the sauce, blend all ingredients in a food processor or with a stick blender. Grind plenty of black pepper while blending. Also grate a little lemon zest (pass the grater over the lemon about 4-5 times). At the end, taste for salt (anchovies are salty, see if more is needed) and lemon juice. The sauce will be quite thick; to thin it for use as a dressing, gradually drizzle in some water while continuing to blend, until you have a consistency that flows easily from a spoon (I added 50 ml of water). Taste again.
4. Peel the potatoes and slice into rounds. Spread on a platter. Sprinkle with salt.
6. Scatter the onion over the potatoes along with all the juice it released.
7. Distribute the asparagus segments on top and sprinkle with a little salt.
8. Drizzle 4-5 tablespoons of tonnato sauce over everything. If desired, add halved cherry tomatoes (about 10 pieces) on top. Sprinkle with chopped dill. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Serve just like this.

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