Roasted asparagus is my go-to preparation the moment those green stalks hit the supermarket. Year-after-year, it’s the first thing I do, even if you can wrap them in proscuitto, put them in quiche, or even make asparagus tamales. It’s easiest to just snap off the bottoms, toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, and crank the oven up to 400F.
It’s finally, finally looking like spring, so I decided to turn those roasted stalks into a more interesting side dish, with barely any extra effort. You can get this Spring side dish of roasted asparagus, sugar snap peas and mint done in 15 minutes or less.
Inspired by an old recipe from EverydayFood that called for blanching the vegetables, the roasting route gets it all done in one fell swoop rather than waiting for water to boil. Turn the oven on to preheat, prep your asparagus and sugar snaps and spread them out on a pan. Radishes are more of a garnish than an equal player here. I’m not that big a fan of radishes, but they’re mild enough right now and give the dish a nice pop of color. This side dish was designed for 2-3, but you double or triple the recipe to put it on the table for Easter dinner.
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, toss together asparagus, sugar snap peas and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast for 7 minutes. The vegetables should be bright green, but still have a bit of crunch to them.
Toss with mint and green onion and immediately put the vegetables into a serving dish. Heat from the pan will make the mint turn black.
Garnish with radish slices and serve.