Prosciutto Wrapped Roasted Asparagus

I made my first farmer’s market trip of the season a couple weekends ago. And though it’s still early for all the good summer produce, I was on a mission to find one particular spring vegetable. Asparagus.

I found it! And, we’re using that asparagus to make the most delicious side dish. We’re going to wrap the asparagus with thin prosciutto slices that have been schmeared with goat cheese. We’ll roast them until the veggies are tender and the prosciutto is crisp. Then, we’ll finish the plate with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Does that sound like heaven, or what?

Let’s talk asparagus. We want to use thicker spears of asparagus for this recipe so that they can handle a little extra time in the oven. Since we’re wrapping these in prosciutto, we want to give the prosciutto the time it needs in the oven to get nice and crisp. But, we don’t want to overcook our asparagus to mush in the process. If you’re unable to find thicker asparagus, don’t sacrifice the asparagus for the prosciutto. Adjust the cooking time down a little bit to account for the smaller asparagus. The meat will be fine…just not quite as crisp.

To create a yummy blanket to wrap around our asparagus, we’re going to use some goat cheese and some prosciutto. We’ll cut pieces or prosciutto in half to make a little square, then we’ll schmear a little dollop of creamy goat cheese over the surface of the prosciutto. We’ll season the goat cheese with a little pinch of black pepper, and it’s ready to wrap around the center of an asparagus spear. Now one thing to note, I recommend using cold prosciutto and room temperature goat cheese. Softer goat cheese is a little easier to spread, and cold prosciutto is a little more stable and not as easy to tear. Prosciutto is pretty delicate, after all, so we want to set ourselves up for success to keep it from ripping.

After all of our asparagus spears are wrapped, we’ll pop them on a parchment lined baking sheet then roast them until the veggies are fork tender and the meat is crisp. The prosciutto will continue to crisp up a little as it rests too. Then to finish the dish, we’ll transfer the asparagus to a serving platter, sprinkle it with a shake of freshly grated parmesan cheese, then drizzle it all over with a sweet and tangy balsamic glaze. And that’s all there is to it.

Easy breezy!

This dish is bursting with flavor from all directions. From the astringent asparagus to the savory prosciutto to the creamy goat cheese to the sweet and tangy glaze…all of the elements of taste are celebrated. And while these are a great side dish, I served leftovers in an eggs benedict; and they were just as big of a hit the second time around. So, there’s your hot tip of the day!

Okie dokes! Tell me what you’re looking forward to seeing the most at the farmer’s markets this year. I’m REALLY hoping to find squash blossoms this year.

I hope you guys enjoy. And, let’s eat!