Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon and Balsamic
Roasted Asparagus with Preserved Lemon and Balsamic
This dish is so easy it barely needs a recipe. The one key is to take 1 wedge of preserved lemon out of the jar the night before, scrape away any pith, rinse, pat dry, and press flat, skin side up, on the cutting board overnight to dry out a bit, which helps the excess water evaporate so the lemon is both more flavorful and has a bit more chewy texture. Once dry the next day, thinly slice.
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Peel the outer layer of asparagus (thick spears are best - if you can only find thinner spears, don't shave them) rub all over with olive oil, lay on a baking sheet, salt, and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, flipping once about half-way through, or once the bottoms have developed a toasty color.
Once out of the oven, plate, shave parmesan, pecorino, or whatever hard cheese you have handy over the spears, garnish with the sliced preserved lemons, drizzle a bit of balsamic and your favorite finishing olive oil, shower with a few cracks of fresh pepper and a bit of additional flaky Maldon sea salt, if needed.