Description
Let asparagus show you how a salad is done right!
Ingredients
Scale
For the croutons:
- 4 to 6 oz ciabatta or peasant bread, torn in bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the lemon-mustard vinaigrette:
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Zest of 1 lemon with 2 tbsp juice
- Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper
For the asparagus:
- 2 lb fat asparagus
- Handful or 2 of arugula leaves
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet
Instructions
For the croutons:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the bread pieces with the oil and arrange on a small baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown and crunchy. Let cool on the baking sheet.
For the lemon-mustard vinaigrette:
- Combine the vinegar and shallot in a small bowl. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes, for the shallot’s flavor to mellow a bit.
- Stir in the mustard. Whisk in the oil in a steady stream, then add one-half of the lemon zest (reserve the rest to garnish the salad) and the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
For the asparagus:
- Snap or cut off the woody stems. Run a vegetable peeler the length of each spear, making as many shavings as possible.
- Pile up the asparagus shavings neatly on a platter or individual plates. Tuck a few arugula leaves around the edges.
- Drizzle with about two-thirds of the dressing. Scatter with almonds, remaining lemon zest, and croutons.
- Serve right away with additional dressing, if you wish.