Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

Spring is here and  beautiful, thick, dark green spears of asparagus  are available everywhere.  This is the first of several favorite ways to prepare them.  Cooking Light magazine a decade ago called this their staff’s favorite asparagus recipe, and I’ve been making it ever since.  It’s sweet, sour, salty, smoky and rich, all while being hearty and elegant.  Browning the butter requires your close attention; otherwise this is fairly simple.  The recipe doesn’t say anything about peeling the asparagus, but my Mother always did, so I do.  When I asked if it was necessary, she quoted Julia Child, ” Peeled and unpeeled asparagus are two different vegetables” which I guess means you should do it!

40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)

cooking spray or olive oil

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. butter

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray or toss to coat with a small amount of olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally.  Remove from the heat; stir in the soy sauce and vinegar.  Drizzle over the asparagus, tossing to coat well.  Serve immediately.  Serves 8 (serving size: 5 spears)

Note: I don’t think this actually serves 8; I would say 6 at the most.  This sauce would be good with most any vegetable.  My first attempt I burned rather than browned the butter, but it was easy to wipe out the pan and start over. The picture shows 1 lb. of asparagus( half the recipe)  with the full amount of sauce. There was only a bit more sauce than needed and I drizzled that over our rice.  Casey and I ate every bite.