Roasted Asparagus

We're now deep into Spring here, and you know what that means, right? As much asparagus as we can stuff into ourselves! Ever since I read about roasting asparagus a few years ago, it has become pretty much the only way I cook it, because the roasting concentrates the delicious sweetness of the stalk. Added bonuses about this method are: no nutrients or flavors are lost to the cooking water, it's harder to overcook to that unappealing khaki green stage, and your stovetop is free to make the main course while the vegetable cooks. But wait, there's more - if you fry a couple of eggs and put them on top, you have a main course, too!

Roasted Asparagus

As much asparagus as you want to eat (choose the freshest, firmest stalks you can find)
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

optional: fresh eggs

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Wash and dry the asparagus, and, holding the center of the stalk in one hand and the cut end in the other, bend the cut end until it snaps off. (Save the ends for the Total Cheapskate's Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe in the next post!)

Heap the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle olive oil all over it. Using your hands, make sure that each spear is coated with the olive oil. Spread the asparagus out on the baking pan in a single layer (use an additional pan as needed). Sprinkle generously with the sea salt - don't be shy, most of it will fall off during cooking, as well as a generous grind of black pepper.

Put the baking dish in the center of the oven, and roast until just tender; if a fork easily pierces the stalks, it is done. This takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on how fat and/or cold the asparagus is.

If you are making a main course of this, fry two eggs per person. Season them well with salt and pepper, and cook until the whites are set and some portion of the yolk is still liquid. The yolks make a nice sauce which coats the stalks. If you like, you can sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan on as well.

Notes from Christine: "Why am I snapping the ends of the stalks instead of using my chef's knife?" Your goal is eliminate the tough, fibrous, inedible parts of the stalk, while not wasting any of the tender parts. Each stalk has an invisible line that separates tough from tender; it is in a different spot on each stalk. When you snap it, it naturally breaks in exactly the right spot.