Cooking At Home: Ultra simple oven roasted asparagus

 

Whenever I have the honor of being asked about what vegetable-side is great for a dinner party, I always give them this asparagus recipe. I sell the heck out of this recipe with these words, "It literally only takes 12-mintues to make and you don't really have to do anything at all." You might hear this and be skeptical, but the truth is this recipe is even easier than the boiling method (covered here) because, well, you don't even have to boil a pot of water! 

This recipe is ULTRA simple, especially if you already have your asparagus washed and ready to go. And, of course it's delicious. Three ingredients, fine– it's four if you count the olive oil. 

Olive oil. Asparagus. Half a lemon. Salt.

The flavor of asparagus remains intact and full, along with one of my favorite flavor combinations: citrus and salt. It's simple, elegant. Sophisticated. Perfect for when hosting dinners.

Ready?

You'll need...

Stalks of asparagus, washed and tough-ends trimmed, pat dried. (I don't specify how many bunches you need because that's up to you. The recipe will be exactly the same for 3 bunches as it is for 1).

A glug of olive oil.

A pinch of finishing salt (such as Maldon sea salt — you'll know if it's finishing salt by its large and flaky structure. NOT GRANULES).

Juice of half a lemon.

What you'll need to do...

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once you've prepped the asparagus lay them out on a sheet pan, make sure they're not too crowded, and make sure they're dry. We're trying to roast them NOT STEAM THEM. Although I have accidentally steamed them on more than one occasion and it was still delicious (because it's asparagus and asparagus is delicious).

Coat the asparagus lightly with olive oil.

Slide the sheet-pan and asparagus into the oven with thicker ends facing the back of the oven. If you have skinny asparagus 10 minutes should do it. If they're fatties, cook for 12 minutes.

Walk away. Pour the drinks. Put on that jazz record. Laugh with your friends.

When the asparagus is out, plate them. Add a nice pinch of finishing salt and squeeze the lemon over the asparagus.

Done.

*Sidenote. Whenever I make this for a dinner party, it's always the last thing I make because it cooks so fast and needs no sitting time.