• 1-1/2 pound medium asparagus, trimmed
• 2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt
• black pepper
• 2/3 cup finely grated parmesan
• 4 large eggs

Move an oven rack to the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 425°F.

Cook asparagus in a pot of boiling, well-salted water until tender and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Place asparagus in two piles on an oven pan greased with butter. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle half of the cheese over them. Heat the rest of the butter in a skillet. Fry eggs until the whites set and carefully lay two eggs over each of the asparagus piles. Sprinkle eggs with remaining cheese and pour any butter left in the skillet over them. Bake until cheese is melted and eggs are cooked as desired.