Instructions: This is by far the easiest and least fiddly way of cooking asparagus for a dinner party all you do is pop it into the oven leave it to cook and serve it up in the dish it was roasted in

450g asparagus
46 tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt
Fresh grated or shaved Parmesan to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C 350 degrees F gas mark 4

Cut the woody ends of the stems off the asparagus and if it seems necessary peel the bottom couple of inches Find a large shallow ovenproof dish or a roasting tin big enough to take the asparagus in a single layer and oil it generously Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the base

Lay the asparagus in the dish and drizzle over the remaining olive oil erring on the generous side

Turn the asparagus with your hands to coat them nicely in oil Sprinkle with a little more salt
Roast uncovered for 10-18 minutes until tender (test the lower end of the stem with the tip of a knife)

Scatter with Parmesan and serve immediately

Serves 4 as a light first course

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