The other day, I was standing in the produce section of the grocery store, staring at a big bag of beautiful, fresh asparagus.
I had no idea what I wanted to make with the stuff, but I knew immediately that I wanted to make something.
So I stood to the side with my phone and scrolled through Pinterest and found one that looked delicious. I was especially excited about it, because it used balsamic vinegar. I have a huge bottle of it sitting in my pantry from a recipe I made long ago, and I haven’t had much use for it since.
The recipe I found is from the blog “Wallflower Kitchen.” You can find it at http://wallflowerkitchen.com/balsamic-roasted-new-potatoes-asparagus/. I simplified the amounts and swapped out an ingredient to make this easier and cheaper.
Balsamic Potatoes and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small potatoes I used yellow
- 1/2 pound fresh asparagus
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390 degrees.
- Cut the potatoes into quarters and cut the asparagus into two-inch pieces.
- In a 9-by-13-inch pan, combine the potatoes, olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat the potatoes.
- Roast for 20 minutes and check the potatoes by piercing them with a fork. You’ll want them fork tender before you add in the asparagus, so keep checking on them every 10 minutes until they’re pretty well cooked through and then mix in the asparagus.
- Roast for another 15 minutes or until the asparagus is done to your liking.
- Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
This was a great side dish for dinner, and since I actually ended up purchasing about three pounds of potatoes and a pound of asparagus to make this, I had lots of leftovers to heat up over the next week for lunch, too.
If you do decide to up the amounts a bit, I’d recommend spreading it out on a big, rimmed baking sheet instead of in a 9-by-13-inch dish so that it cooks faster.
I was super excited with how this recipe turned out, and it was an excellent way to enjoy some fresh asparagus. It would be a great one to store away in the recipe box for when gardens are in full swing.
And I was once again reminded what a sucker I am for fresh produce when I’m out grocery shopping while hungry. I supposed that’s why it’s a good idea for me to avoid the candy aisle.
This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 15, 2018.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
