This salad was EXCELLENT! I did substitute dubliner cheese for the parmesan and added roasted red onions, which added another dimension to the overall flavor, which I highly recommend. I simply sliced and roasted the onions for about 10 minutes before adding the asparagus to the roasting sheet.
The rolling hills surrounding Lexington, Kentucky—some of the country’s most expensive rural real estate—are used primarily for Thoroughbred grazing. “But outside that 15-mile ring are great farms,” says Amber Huffman, the Jackson family’s private chef. She features farmers’ market lettuces here, which get warmed by roasted asparagus.
ingredients
1 pound medium asparagus
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
10 ounces mixed spring lettuces
One 1 1/2-ounce piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler
directions
Preheat the oven to 450°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the oil and the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for about 8 minutes, until just tender and the tips begin to turn brown.
In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the mustard and the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss the lettuces with all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Arrange the salad on plates and top with the roasted asparagus and cheese curls. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the asparagus and serve.
WINE
Few wines pair well with asparagus, but Sauvignon Blanc is an exception—the variety’s grassy, herbal notes complement asparagus’s strong flavor (asparagus tends to make reds taste very bitter). Kendall-Jackson’s 2006 Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon, with its fresh citrusy fruit, is a great partner for this springtime salad.