asparagus and potatoes with shallots

wow, radio silence for a while...sorry about that! i've been cooking, and have been writing recipes, but haven't been sharing them. how very selfish of me.

here's one for all the lovers out there...a classic and simple side dish using the ever-present (in my kitchen anyway) asparagus. simple, but tasty, with the flexibility to go with almost anything. i served mine alongside a nice fish fillet, but it would taste just as good alongside chicken or beef. you could even toss the finished dish with pasta and have a whole meal.

ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned, ends trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
1 small bag (or about 20) mixed fingering potatoes, cleaned and cut into chunks
3 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

directions:
bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. once it is at a rolling boil add some salt (i leave the quantity to your discretion) and the potatoes. cook until a fork can pierce them, but they aren't mushy, and then remove from the water (reserve the water) and drain. add the asparagus to the water and cook until bright green, then remove to the same strainer as the potatoes and discard the water.

add the butter, olive oil, garlic and shallots to the pot the water was in, and reduce the heat to medium high. let the shallots brown slightly - you want them to be a little caramelized - and once that happens add in the potatoes and asparagus. toss to distribute the flavors and add salt and pepper to taste. enjoy!

notes: see? i told you. dead simple.