Deciding on side dishes for the big day can be difficult – more often than not you will be catering for a larger number of people than usual, hob space will be at a premium so to have your greens bake away in the oven will be a serious load off your back!
Prep them in the morning and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to pop them in the oven – or enjoy them as a meal by themselves!
I recommend a bundle of 5 per person.
20 small asparagus spears (makes 2 bundles)
4 slices of streaky (canadian) bacon
1 tbsp of Garlic & Chilli Oil
Cracked black pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°c / 392°F.
- Snap off the bottom ends of the spears using your hands, bundle them into piles of 5.
- Take each bundle and wrap a piece of the bacon around it so that it is secure.- If preparing them in advance stop here and refrigerate.
- Coat a baking tray with half of the oil, place the asparagus bundles on the tray, season with black pepper and drizzle the remaining oil on top of them.
- Baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the asparagus is nice and crispy and the bacon is fully cooked.
I cooked mine for 10 minutes, flipped them; cooked them for a further 10 and then flipped them again for a further 5 mins a side. - Serve and enjoy either as part of a Christmas feast or by themselves!
