Neighborhood Watch Salad

We had been invited to a potluck party for our Neighborhood Watch section; I was determined to take something a little different, so I went surfing on the interwebs to find something appealing and springlike.

I had tangerines on hand so I searched epicurious.com (man, I love that site!) for tangerine recipes; when I found this one, I stopped looking.

Roasted Asparagus Salad with Tangerine Dressing

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large tangerines or small oranges
1/3 cup fresh tangerine juice or orange juice (Having tasted this, I think orange would be too bitter)
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons oriental [sic] sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh tangerine peel or orange peel
1 clove garlic, pressed
3/4 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons finely chopped green onion tops
2 Tablespoons finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place asparagus in medium bowl. Pour enough cold water over asparagus to cover; let stand 15 minutes. Drain. Spread asparagus in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan; drizzle with oil. Roast asparagus until crisp-tender, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer asparagus to platter and cool.

Using a sharp knife, cut the peel and white pith from tangerines. Cut between the membranes to release segments. Arrange tangerine segments atop asparagus. Whisk tangerine juice, vinegar, sesame oil, peel, garlic and ginger in a small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle over asparagus. Sprinkle with green onion tops and peanuts.

I mostly followed directions but when I whisked up the dressing it tasted a little too blah so I splashed in more vinegar, garlic and ginger than called for. Didn't finely chop my green onion tops, just sliced and sprinkled. (Took this picture; note no peanuts yet). Coarsely chopped my peanuts, which were indeed dry roasted but not salted - another time, I think the salty ones would have been a bit better.

The salad was a big hit at the party, according to My Beloved, who went in my stead while I stayed home and made sure Cora didn't scratch her ear or worry her drain. I kept some for our dinner, too. Good move.