Roasted White Asparagus

Roasted White Asparagus

March 16, 2018

Servings: 2

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 35 min

Total: 40 min

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One of my all-time favorite preparations of this coveted vegetable. The simpler the better, you want the asparagus to shine!

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 1 lb white asparagus
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• Additional salt and pepper for seasoning
• Fresh tarragon for garnish

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash, and clean asparagus, then peel the stalks and cut off the bottom part, about 1/2 inch worth.
• Step 2 Layer asparagus stalks in a double layer of aluminum foil. Top with butter and then sprinkle with salt & sugar.
• Step 3 Roast in the oven on 375 for about 30-40 min, depending on how soft you like the asparagus. (I checked ours about halfway through and settled on roasting for 30 minutes total, but I like mine a little more crisp-tender)
• Step 4 Meanwhile, hard boil your egg: Submerge the egg in salted water in a small saucepan. Bring the water to a boil slowly over medium low heat. When the water boils, turn off the heat and let the egg stand for 10-15 minutes. Run the egg under cold water to stop the cooking process. Allow the egg to cool while the asparagus finishes cooking.
• Step 5 Remove the asparagus and divide between serving plates. Grate the egg over the asparagus, drizzle with olive oil, then season with additional salt, pepper, and fresh tarragon. (Or go really wild and sprinkle with truffles or truffle salt!)

“It’s almost that time of year again”… quick, what immediately comes to mind?! After the winter we’ve had, hopefully you answered something, anything to do with “spring” or any variation thereof! But if you went as far as to answer “white asparagus season,” you are my new best friend!

I’m pretty much an asparagus (asparagi?) lover of all colors, but there’s something about the legendary white asparagus that practically makes me weak in the knees! And it’s not like I just feel a sense of reverence purely because they are considered a delicacy. There’s truly something about those plump spears of silky deliciousness that nothing can quite compare to.

I honestly didn’t grow up eating much white asparagus in New Hampshire, but who can really say they did? My fixation really started like several of my other food obsessions, across the pond in Europe. On this particular trip, I was tagging along on one of Marc’s business trips and ended up in Antwerp of all places. After a morning of wandering through the town center, I stopped off for lunch at a random sidewalk cafe for a “quick bite” and something compelled me to order the white asparagus salad. (Mainly because it was one of the few things I could identify on the menu!) Little did I know that I was about to have one of the most orgasmic foodie experiences of my life!  I think the picture honestly speaks for itself:

This is the holy grail of white asparagus. There’s not other explanation for it other than we must have landed in Belgium at the height of white asparagus season. Since this day, I have never again witnessed white asparagus even close to as plump as this. But, you can bet I’ll keep looking!

My recipe, on the other hand, is a far simpler preparation, but one I believe really let’s the asparagus shine. Just let the oven do the work and roast them on one of these adorable new baking sheets – aren’t you obsessed with the aqua color!?

I suggest garnishing the asparagus with some fresh tarragon or if you’re feeling fancy, a little truffle salt (we actually tried ours with a little sprinkling of crumbled truffles, a gift from my inlaws). Soft-boiled eggs also pair really well with asparagus, but since I’m pregnant, I can’t undercook my eggs this season. You’ll just have to wait for Spring 2019 for that post!