Asparagus With Bacon, Red Onion, and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Submitted by Queen Dragon Mom

"From America's Test Kitchen. This looks just wonderful. "To prepare the asparagus for this salad, we found that broiling concentrates the flavor of the asparagus and lightly caramelizes the peel. We prefer to use thin (under 5/8-inch) asparagus under the broiler-this lets us skip the peeling step and allows the spears to cook more evenly.""

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 lbs thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed (2 bunches)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 6 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons minced red onions
• 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper

directions

1. Adjust oven rack to about 4 inches from heating element and heat broiler.
2. Toss asparagus with oil and salt and pepper, then lay spears in single layer on heavy rimmed baking sheet. Broil, shaking pan halfway through to turn spears, until asparagus is tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Cool asparagus 5 minutes and arrange on serving dish.
4. Fry bacon strips in medium skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and set aside.
5. Whisk onion, vinegar, parsley, and oil in small bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle over asparagus, sprinkle with bacon, and serve immediately.

Reviews

[Scoutie]

Had my first asparagus of the season and used this recipe...delicious! The only thing I did differently was to cut the bacon back to 3 slices. Thanks for posting!

 

[Jean R]

Loved it - served at room temperature. Thanks for posting!

 

[cyaos]

This was really very good. I followed the directions exactly with the exception that I forgot to add the bacon at the end. My boyfriend went to the counter and asked what the bacon was for and we added it for the second half. We much preferred it without the bacon as it has a strong taste that overwhelmed the aparagus. The red onions soaked up all the yummy balsamic vinegar and were very tasty. We will make this again and just omit the bacon entirely. Thanks for posting!

 

[French Tart]

Excellent! I made a big error too - I forgot to buy red onions.....but that is my fault, so I am still reviewing this recipe as both DH and I LOVED it! I am trying to cut back on fat at present - so I used finely diced bacon and only used 2 slices - well there were only two of us anyway! I also only used 1 lb of asparagus, for the same reason! The dressing was superb and the combination well matched. I am not sure if I will add the missing red onion next time, as I loved the subtle flavours of this dish as it was. Thanks for posting this recipe - I brought the asparagus back from England, just for this recipe!! I prefer green and it is mainly white that is available in France! FT:-)