Salad of asparagus and new potatoes with gorgonzola and basil

Ingredients

500g/1lb 1½oz asparagus spears
½ a lemon, juice only
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
225g/8oz small British new potatoes, boiled and cut into quarters lengthwise, and tossed in a little olive oil
250g/8¾oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half
50g/1¾oz stoned black olives, halved
2 shallots finely chopped
1 large bunch basil, finely shredded
150g/5¼oz gorgonzola or dolcelatte cheese, crumbled, to serve

Method

1. Clean the asparagus and trim any white ends and peel, if necessary, with a vegetable peeler.
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the asparagus and blanch for 1-3 minutes until just tender.
3. Drain and immerse in very cold water to prevent further cooking. This leaves the asparagus bright green.
4. Mix the lemon juice and olive oil together with the sea salt and black pepper. Add the boiled potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives, shallots and basil and toss together.
5. Arrange the asparagus on a large platter or individual serving plates, spoon some of the potato mixture over the asparagus and garnish with the crumbled cheese to serve.