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Perfectly caramelized asparagus.

Lemon Roasted Asparagus

Lemon Roasted Asparagus is so simple to make, and roasting at a high temperature caramelizes each spear, releasing all those yummy natural sugars immediately. I love how the tips get charred, but the asparagus stems stay tender-crisp with a perfect bite.
Servings: 4 servings
Chef Alli
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

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Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus spears as fat as you can find, washed and patted dry
  • 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  • Using your favorite sharp paring knife, trim the end of each asparagus spear, removing about 1-inch of the base.
    1 pound fresh asparagus spears
  • Lay the asparagus out flat on a sheet of parchment paper. Working sideways, run your peeler across the length of each stem, gently removing the fibrous exterior of the asparagus. Once most of the exterior is removed, the asparagus will look vibrantly green beneath.
  • Place the asparagus into a pile on a large parchment-lined baking sheet with a rimmed edge.
  • Drizzle the pile of asparagus with the olive oil. Use a microplane zester to zest a lemon over the asparagus.
    2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
  • Using two spatulas or large serving spoons, gently toss the spears evenly in the oil.
  • Spread the asparagus spears out over the parchment paper in a single layer, allowing as much space between each one as possible. Sprinkle the asparagus with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, as desired.
  • Roast the asparagus on the center oven rack, uncovered, for 5 minutes. When the timer sounds, test the asparagus with a fork to see if it's tender yet. If not, roast for an additional 3-5 minutes and test again.
  • Serve the asparagus at once.

Notes

  1. Whatever you do, don’t overcook the asparagus. At 450 degrees F., peeled asparagus spears will cook very quickly. After just 5 minutes in the oven, it’s time to check for doneness!
  2. Spreading the asparagus out in a single layer so they aren’t touching each other helps the heat meet more surface area. That means more caramelization! Be sure to use a nice large sheet pan for roasting the asparagus.
  3. You can easily double this recipe and cook two pounds of asparagus for a larger crowd. Just use two sheet pans so the spears can be spread out in a single layer.

Nutrition

Calories: 62kcalFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 291mgPotassium: 0.1mgCalcium: 0.3mgIron: 0.04mg
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