Jen Causey
Round out dinner with a crowd-pleasing side dish like grilled asparagus. We amped up the savory flavor by throwing in sliced shiitake mushroom and crumbled bacon slices. This easy recipe comes together in a total of 20 minutes.
Asparagus is a versatile veggie that pairs well with just about any main—steak, chicken, fish, and even pasta. Before cooking the asparagus, be sure to cut off the tough, woody ends (rather than snapping this part off, cut the ends to ensure you aren’t removing any valuable part of the stalk). Plunging the asparagus into ice water after it’s been boiled in hot salty water halts the cooking process, preventing the stalks from becoming too mushy as well as bringing out their rich green color. Sauté the asparagus with the mushrooms and shallots in the drippings to infuse them with rich, smoky flavor, and finish off the side dish with a nice kick of dried crushed red pepper.
How to Make It
Step 1
Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2- inch pieces. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water to cover in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and set aside.
Step 2
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 1/2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Discard remaining drippings. Crumble bacon.
Step 3
Sauté mushrooms and shallots in hot drippings over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until shallots are tender. Add asparagus and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in crumbled bacon, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
