Easy Side Dish: Asparagus Fries

 AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES

Easy Side Dish: Asparagus Fries goes with seafood, beef, pork or poultry meals. Asparagus are baked with a crunchy coating of Parmesan-Reggiano and panko bread crumbs for a delicious side dish recipe.

We are big asparagus fans in our house. I have steamed them, roasted them with olive oil and salt and pepper adding some parmesan or gruyere cheese at the end of the cooking time. My new love are these Asparagus Fries - they are so tasty and so easy to prepare. I love the slight crunch on the outside because of the panko and the flavor from the Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.

Luckily Asparagus is readily available year round. You don't have to wait for Spring or early Summer to find them. It's a good thing that we now have the ability to make Asparagus Fries all year long.

This easy side dish recipe will become one of your favorites as they bake in 10 minutes and the prep time isn't long either which makes it great for weeknight cooking. The other plus is that asparagus pairs well with any protein, fish or shellfish and makes a great side for a holiday meal.

• 1 lb. fresh Asparagus
• 2 eggs and 1 tbsp. water
• 1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste.
• optional: parchment paper and zip lock bags

1. Preheat your oven to 425°.
2. Prep your asparagus. Remove the tough ends by snapping the asparagus as it will break naturally. Once you find that you can just cut the rest of the bunch with a knife as you have your guide.
3. Blitz the panko bread crumbs in your food processor to make them finer.
4. In a bowl, dish or zip lock bag add the asparagus, the olive oil and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
5. Set up a breading station: beaten eggs and water in one dish and the panko mixed with the cheese in another dish or a zip lock bag.
6. Dip the oiled asparagus in the egg wash letting excess fall off.
7. Roll in the panko and cheese mixture.
8. Lay the asparagus on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

COOKS NOTE: We prefer thin, young asparagus so the time here is great for that. For a thicker stalk you may want to go a few minutes longer baking time.

THIS IS THE TEXTURE OF THE PANKO

Over the years I have evolved as a cook and haven't lost the joy in it. To bring tasty recipes like this one to life and see folks enjoy what I cook gives me immense pleasure. The Asparagus Fries were the side dish to our Ham with Orange Glaze dinner that included steakhouse potato gratin. The crispy texture, the delicious salty zip from the cheese made this side dish recipe one that I'll make over and over again.

In order to cook everything and have it coordinated, I needed to use my toaster oven to bake the asparagus as the ham and potato gratin baked at a much lower temperature. We use the toaster oven quite a bit and it's super handy especially in the summer when we don't want to fire up our regular oven. They now make a toaster oven/air fryer version which could very well be my next kitchen acquisition!  This toaster oven is really similar to the one we have and it's great for anything from reheating pizza to roasting or baking.

I hope you enjoy these asparagus fries - and as always I'll appreciate your comments and feedback.