Smoked Salmon for Mardi Gras?

Today is Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. I should be writing about beignets or waffles or some other traditional way to celebrate the day. Instead, I have a cold, am grumpy and can taste practically nothing. No energy to actually make any sort of Mardi Gras food. All my food related email is making me feel guilty that I don’t have something seasonal up my sleeve to write about.

I have leftover asparagus in the fridge. What I want is something for either breakfast or lunch that has some big flavor, and will also use up the asparagus. I’m sick and too lazy to actually cook anything, although if someone would volunteer to make me a nice omelet with asparagus and maybe some of that smoked salmon in the fridge drawer, that would be nice, But not gonna happen.

Next best is a good little cold platter, that this sniffy girl can assemble in two minutes, and has deep enough flavors to get through my cold. Asparagus, with smoked salmon and a little Dijon mayonnaise on the side. Oh, even my numbed-out taste buds will enjoy that smoky succulence. At least in my book, there is surely enough fat in this dish to make it a Mardi Gras dish. Especially if I garnish it with a box of tissues and a big cup of tea.

To assemble:

Lay the asparagus neatly out on a plate and cover with sliced smoked salmon. In a small bowl mix 2 T of mayonnaise with 1 T of good Dijon mustard. Serve with toasted rye bread or a nice bagel.