Recipe: Caesar-Roasted Asparagus Guest Post from Maggie of Pithy and Cleaver

Guest of The Kitchn

updated Jun 4, 2019

summer

Be the first to leave a review!

Serves1

Jump to Recipe

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

In the June 2009 issue of Food & Wine, Nate Appleman (of A16 and SPQR restaurants in San Francisco) recommends using mayonnaise-based marinades for grilling. Just a few pages later, Melissa Rubel gives a recipe for a mayonnaise-based Caesar style salad dressing. Why not combine the two, and make some Caesar-dressed veggies?

I tossed some skinny spring asparagus with a slightly adjusted version of the Caesar dressing, increasing the lemon a bit, and mashing it all together in a bowl instead of getting a blender dirty. (I used anchovy paste, because I always keep it on hand, but I’m sure anchovy fillets would be lovely.)

Adapting for the grill-less among us, I broiled the asparagus until it was just slightly charred and still vivid green. You could roast these in the oven as well if you’re a little more patient. Tossed with extra parmesan and tons of freshly ground black pepper, the asparagus was lovely with just a few tomatoes on the side, and even better with a fried egg on top.

This makes enough dressing for two pounds of asparagus, but it will cook better if you only fill the pan one pound at a time. If you’re making this for two people, I recommend cooking in two batches, or in a large broiler-safe pan.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Comments

Serves 1

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For dressing:

1 tablespoon
mayonnaise
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
anchovy paste (depending on how you feel about anchovies)
1 clove
garlic, chopped
Juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon
mustard

1 pound
asparagus, tough ends removed
1 tablespoon
olive oil
Parmesan for grating

Instructions

Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, mix mayo, anchovy paste, garlic, lemon juice, and mustard, smashing garlic a bit. In a large broiler-safe pan (I used a 3 qt sauté pan), toss asparagus with olive oil until evenly coated, the toss with half of the Caesar dressing. Broil for 5 minutes, then toss with tongs, and broil five minutes more. Toss again, then grate parmesan on top. Return asparagus to the broiler for a few minutes until parmesan has melted and tips of the asparagus begin to shrivel.
Garnish with sea salt, additional parmesan, and a very generous grinding of pepper.
Serve with a poached or fried egg if desired.