{A-List Asparagus}

Asparagus is a delicious, easy veggie and the fern-colored spears add a touch of elegance alongside any of your favorite proteins. I consider this little treasure of a recipe our “A-List Asparagus” because the simple addition of nutmeg and lemon elevates it to a superstar status. You could invite Robert Downey Jr. (or your A-List star of choice) over and feel proud serving this dish. I love that it’s still super easy, so as not to frazzle you while under the stress of entertaining such stardom.

We thank a recent episode of Alton Brown’s show, Good Eats, for the flavor inspiration.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh Asparagus
2 Tablespoons melted butter (we suggest butter from grass-fed cows, such as Kerrygold Butter)*
Sea Salt (to taste)
Fresh Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
½ Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg (pre-ground is okay, but give the fresh a try if you can)
1 whole lemon, zested

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
Break off the bottom ends of the Asparagus spears (about an inch or so will naturally break). Discard the ends.
Coat Asparagus spears with the melted butter.
Sprinkle with Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black pepper, to taste.
Roast on a baking sheet for 12 minutes (for medium-sized spears – time may vary based on thickness).
Once the spears are roasted, remove them from the oven and freshly grate the nutmeg over the top (you can use a fine-grate zester for this).

Next, use the same zester to zest your lemon over the top of the asparagus.

Gently toss the Asparagus a bit more to even out the lemon and nutmeg flavors.
Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

*You may also use another cooking oil of your choice, such as ghee, avocado oil, coconut oil, bacon grease, to name a few. I would not recommend olive oil at this high roasting temp (that one’s best cold!).