Roasted Asparagus

Okay, I have heard that roasting asparagus is the BEST way to cook it. I have tried several times before to roast asparagus and even had it in a previous post but never understood what everyone was raving about! That was until I figured out why my roasted asparagus wasn't really roasted. It was still just steamed.

See, the key is to not crowd the asparagus. They need room around them otherwise they steam. Also, they need to be on a baking sheet. No other casserole or roasting dish will do. The caramelization just will not happen. These may be obvious to some, but it wasn't clear to me until tonight!

These were amazing!! I served them alongside my Chicken and Mushroom Hash. Once they got to the table we decided to sprinkle a little feta cheese on top. They were fantastic. Another great side dish.

Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus

Olive Oil

Salt
Pepper

Feta Cheese (optional)

Toss asparagus with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay on a baking tray (do not crowd) and roast for approx 20 min in a hot oven. Sprinkle with Feta Cheese if you like when it gets to the table!

Enjoy

CC

It started with potatoes...

I was lucky enough to get half an hour to watch the food network, and saw a great recipe for scalloped potatoes. Well, as the episode went on and on, I decided - hell, why not make the whole shabang!

It starts with herb butter. Now I was not overly impressed with this butter served on the asparagus or the steak, but I am going to try it while sauteing some mushrooms or other vegetable. It was fun to make though!
Luckily I watched the episode, because the recipe fails to remind you to plunge your herb butter into a bowl of ice in order for it to solidify again. It really doesn't take that long, just remember to stir occasionally. Then put it in saran wrap and roll it up - perfect for cutting off a knob now and then!

I had never roasted asparagus before, so was excited to finally try. I didn't find this very exciting. I did however try again tonight and the second batch was much better!! Definitely don't be stingy on the olive oil - and perhaps skip the bread crumbs - they cause a lot of smoke in the oven!

Okay, so the star of the meal - and I forget to take any pictures!!! The scalloped potatoes were sooooo very tasty!! I will definately be making these again. I will be adding Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs to the topping next time. Be sure to use fresh rosemary! So delicious.

We did have steak as well - prepared as suggested. I do love that method of cooking steak - always nice and tender. I did marinate mine for a couple hours before and it did need a couple (2 or 3) extra minutes than he mentions in the recipe. I like my steak rare to medium rare - not blue!!

You can get the whole kit and kaboodle here!

Enjoy - and try the potatoes!

CC