Recipe Rescue: Countdown to Thanksgiving: Roasted Asparagus

Every Thanksgiving it seems that the same dishes are set on the table, turkey, mashed potatoes, Stuffing/Dressing, Sweet Potato/Green Bean Casserole, Corn, Rolls, Cranberry Sauce and Gravy. I'm not asking you to change your tradition, actually the best way to introduce new items to your menu is to keep the tried and true favorites and just add a new item, but no more than 2 at a time or the pilgrims will get restless. How about Roasted Asparagus?

This is likely the most simple dish you'll make for your Thanksgiving holiday, ever since I started doing asparagus this way, I haven't done it any other way since, so simple.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Depending on your crowd you may want multiple asparagus bundles, but trust me, there is no way to mess this up so you'll be fine no matter how much or little you make. You'll also need 2-3 lemons, sea salt and olive oil. (yep, that's it)

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Rinse the asparagus and cut the bottoms off, you'll want to cut at least two inches off the bottom of the stock, the thicker the stalk the more fibrous it is and that makes for hard and chewy asparagus no matter how long you cook it. (some people even peel the stalk, I don't think that is necessary) Lay the asparagus out on a baking sheet and drizzle enough olive oil to lightly coat each piece, squeeze the juice of 1 or 1 1/2 lemons over the asparagus, toss with your finger-tips and lightly sprinkle with the sea salt. Roast in a 400 degree oven till desired doneness, I like to cook them till they are slightly soft but still have a bit of a crunch. You can tell that they are done as they will start to darken and of course you can pick one out of the baking sheet and test it. (testing is a cooks reward) Once they are done to your taste, slice the lemon(s) you didn't use for juice and garnish your plate of asparagus with the slices.