Cheesy Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus is an easy, one-pan side dish recipe that makes a gorgeous, delicious addition to a special holiday meal or a regular weeknight dinner!
Spring Break is upon us, Easter is around the corner, and I say it's high time we bid adieu to winter recipes and ring in the new season with some fresh, spring fare! I don't think an Easter menu would be complete without asparagus, so this year I've paired this quintessential spring veggie with tender fingerling potatoes in Cheesy Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus.
Ingredients
A medley of asparagus and potatoes is tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasted with fresh minced garlic and finished off with a shower of sharp Romano cheese.
The resulting side dish is so delectable that it borders on addictive, with amazing texture and flavor from roasting.
Veggies + high heat = pure magic, y'all.
Roasted Potatoes & Asparagus Cooking Times
The tricky part of this recipe is that asparagus takes nowhere near as long to cook as potatoes. But the solution is easy...simply give the potatoes a head-start on roasting, and then add the asparagus and minced garlic to the sheet pan for the last 10 minutes or so. Then don't forget the CHEESE!
When I initially piled some Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus onto my kids' plates, they eyed the side with a bit of apprehension. But one bite in and they were sold!
Eldest son: "This is SO GOOD, Mama!"
Middle son: "I LOVE this asparagus!"
Youngest daughter: *Tried tiny bite. Did not whine or throw fit. SUCCESS!*
Types of Potatoes to Use
I found a little bag of colorful fingerling potatoes at the grocery store, so that's what I used in my Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus. The funny thing was that, once sliced, the red fingerling potatoes looked remarkably like sausage. It made all of us do multiple double-takes as we were eating. But actually, now that I'm thinking about it, sliced sausage would actually make a pretty tasty addition to this recipe... 😉
If you can't find fingerling potatoes -- or if they're too pricey, which they sometimes are -- you may certainly use another variety of potatoes...red or yellow new potatoes or full-sized red or Yukon gold potatoes would all work great.
But whichever type potatoes you end up using, you'll want to be sure to cut 'em into 1 ½-inch or so chunks for quick, even roasting. I cut my larger fingerling potatoes into halves or thirds and left the tiny ones whole. As a bonus, I think a variety of sizes makes for a prettier platter, too.
Cheesy Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus is a yummy, vibrant side dish that's gorgeous enough for your holiday table but simple enough to whip up any ol' night of the week! Welcoming spring never tasted so good... 😉
More Spring Side Dishes
- Slow Cooker Honey Cinnamon Carrots
- Creamy Spring Peas with Bacon & Mint
- Parmesan Panko Asparagus
- Roasted Asparagus
Cheesy Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes, tiny ones left whole and larger ones cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, DIVIDED
- ¾ teaspoon salt, DIVIDED
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound thick asparagus, trimmed & diagonally sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup freshly shredded Romano cheese
Instructions
- Place rack in center position of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place potatoes in a gallon-sized plastic baggie. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Seal the bag and shake it until potatoes are evenly coated. Dump the potatoes out onto a large, rimmed sheet pan and spread them into a single layer. Cook for 15 minutes, use a metal spatula to stir (and scrape up any potatoes sticking to the pan), and cook for 10 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the asparagus to the same bag that was used for the potatoes. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and add additional pepper. Seal the bag and shake to coat the asparagus.
- Once the potatoes are tender, remove the pan from the oven, add the asparagus, sprinkle with the minced garlic, toss everything together, and spread into a single layer. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes until the asparagus is tender (depending on the thickness of the asparagus). Sprinkle the veggies with the Romano cheese and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Notes
- You may use new potatoes or large red or yellow (such as Yukon Gold) potatoes instead of fingerlings. Just be sure to cut them into 1 ½-inch chunks for even roasting.
- Thick spears of asparagus hold up to roasting better than thin spears. If you can only find thin spears, however, be prepared to reduce their cooking time.
- If desired, you may use freshly grated or shredded Parmesan in place of the Romano.
Maggie
A family favorite! I can't tell you how many times I've made this, and every time my family loves it and can't believe how easy it is. I use shredded parmesan. So good, thanks for the recipe!
Angela Smith
Absolutely the BEST!!
John
Even better with Irish cheddar cheese instead of Romano!
Elisha
Amazing!!! So yummy
Diana
I made this for my Vegan household and they've requested more. So this is on the menu for Fathers day now.
Jason Harvey
I loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Happy to hear this was a hit, Jason! 🙂
Eric
This looks delicious, but it needs to have polish sausage in it.