Simple Side Dishes

A couple of very simple side dishes i like to make often, because they are easy and inexpensive, are roasted asparagus with lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and roasted potatoes with rosemary or thyme. The roasted asparagus take only about 10 minutes. The potatoes take about 30 minutes because they take longer to cook on the inside and get crispy. For the asparagus, all you need is 1 or 2 bunches of asparagus (depending of how many people you are cooking for) some lemon juice, some dry white wine, salt and pepper, olive oil, and if you have or want to use, some Parmesan cheese. First wash the asparagus and break off the ends. They will snap at just the right place if you slightly bend them to the side. Then place in a baking pan that is not too deep, and arrange so that they are all in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, add 1 tbsp dry white wine, 2 tbsp olive oil (add more of both if using two bunches) and mix it all up so that all the asparagus are coated with oil and wine. Put under broiler for about 7 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice. Finally, add the Parmesan cheese (either shaved or shredded) if you are using. For the potatoes, use about a pound of either red or Yukon gold potatoes. Cut them into bite size pieces and place in a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, about 4 tbsp olive oil, and some chopped fresh rosemary or thyme ( just use dry if you don't have fresh) . Mix everything up in the pan, making sure all the potatoes are coated with oil and then place in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven and garnish with some chopped parsley (this is optional, i use the parsley for color and not for flavor in this case) Enjoy! If you choose to do both side dishes, i recommend doing the potatoes first, so you can work on the other things while they are in the oven.