Roasted Asparagus with Dijon, Parmesan, and Lemon
Asparagus is a springtime produce staple. Asparagus roasted with olive oil and salt is perfect for serving, but Dijon, vinegar, butter, Parmesan, and lemon zest deepen and brighten the flavor for an even tastier side dish. The roasting time in this recipe will vary based on the size of your asparagus spears—the thicker they are, the more they need to roast. In this recipe I use thin asparagus that requires very little time. A trick to know for when the asparagus is done is to hold it upright and see how far the top droops over (I prefer a slight bend to ensure that the inside still has some bite to it).
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz thin asparagus, trimmed
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tsp white balsamic or champagne vinegar
- ½ Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan to garnish, crumbled or grated
- Lemon zest to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Spread the asparagus onto the sheet tray; drizzle the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to coat, then place on the center rack of the oven and bake 5-7 minutes.
- As the asparagus roasts, whisk together the Dijon and white balsamic vinegar.
- Remove the asparagus from the oven. While the pan is still warm, and add the butter, Dijon and vinegar mixture, and 2 Tbsp of Parmesan. Toss repeatedly until the butter has melted, and the dressing has emulsified and thickened to coat the asparagus. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and micro-planed lemon zest, and serve warm as a side dish.