Select Thick Asparagus

It’s fairly easy to select asparagus, first, for roasting, select green spears. I prefer thick spears when roasting. Pencil-thin spears can dry out in the oven and get stringy.

Preheat the Oven

The success of any roasted vegetable is preheating the oven. Before roasting, heat your oven to 400 degrees F.. I usually prep my asparagus while the oven heats.

Trim the Spears

Traditional recipes for asparagus often instruct you to “snap” off the bottom of the spear. The theory behind this is that the woody part of the asparagus will snap off, leaving behind a delicate spear. In my experience, the only thing this does is waste asparagus, nothing more.

The best way to trim asparagus? Use a knife. Most of the time, asparagus comes bundled with two rubber bands. While still in the bundle, trim off the bottom of the asparagus where it looks like it’s getting woody. A good visual clue is where the spear turns from green to white. Most of the time, this gets rid of the woody portion. Then, what I do, is take my finger and feel the bottom of the trimmed spear. Does the skin of the asparagus yield easily? Or does it feel tough? If it feels tough, grab your peeler. Peel about an inch off the bottom of the spears. (Honest moment: I rarely do this.)

After trimming, wash the asparagus and place on a 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then, using both of your hands, gently roll the asparagus on the baking sheet. In a few seconds, the spears should be evenly coated with olive oil.

Grind some fresh black pepper over the spears and sprinkle on a generous amount of Kosher salt.

Roast It

Roast until the spears are aromatic. For a pound of asparagus, this usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes. About halfway through roasting, remove the pan from the oven and give it a little shake.

Serve

After roasting, serve as is or sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan cheese or squeeze on a little fresh lemon juice. A drizzle of nice balsamic vinegar is also nice.

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus is easy to make and brings out the delicate flavor. Perfect for spring side dishes.

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For Serving (select one)

freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly squeezed lemon juice
drizzle of Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Preheat Oven and Trim Asparagus: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, trim the end of spear where the asparagus turns from green to white, about one inch off the bottom of the asparagus.
Roast: Place trimmed asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil evenly over spears. Gently roll spears to coat with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and generously with black pepper. Roast until spears are tender when pierced with a fork, about ten minutes. Roasting time varies depending on the thickness of the spears.
Serve: Serve as is or sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over the spears. Or drizzle lightly with freshly squeezed lemon or a balsamic vinegar.