Roasted Asparagus with Garlic

Ingredients

• 1 lb. thick asparagus spears
• 1/2 cup large whole peeled garlic cloves
• 3 T olive oil
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Take 1 asparagus spear and bend it until it breaks; that natural snap tells you where the tough stem ends. Cut the rest of the asparagus to match that length.
2. Cut the trimmed asparagus in half again; if you like, slice on the diagonal.
3. Measure out the whole garlic cloves you want, choosing large cloves as much as possible, and cut them in half. If any cloves are much smaller, leave them whole so the garlic pieces are roughly even.
4. Put the asparagus pieces and garlic cloves in a zip-top bag with the olive oil, and let everything sit together for about 2 hours. A longer marinate is fine too.
5. When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 450F/230C.
6. Drain the asparagus and garlic quickly, leaving a little olive oil clinging to them for roasting.
7. Spread the asparagus and garlic on a large baking sheet, keeping everything in a single layer as much as you can.
8. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the asparagus is just beginning to soften and the garlic is only starting to brown around the edges. Watch the garlic closely, because if it gets too dark it can taste bitter.
9. Add salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve hot.