Roasted Asparagus with Almonds and Capers

I’ve misplaced the name of the author of this recipe, but I’m quite sure I found it in a recent NYT Cooking column. The original recipe called for fresh dill as an accompaniment to the asparagus in addition to the almonds and fried capers, but I decided enough was enough, and omitted the dill. I used some very healthy, chunky-looking asparagus when testing this recipe and they stood up to roasting well. This was my first attempt at frying capers and I'm not sure that I was entirely successful. C'est la vie.

Ingredients:

• ⅓ pounds/600 grams asparagus, woody ends trimmed 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons/30 grams unsalted butter
•  Scant 1/4 cup/20 grams sliced/chopped almonds
• 3 tablespoons/30 grams baby capers, patted dry on paper towels

Methods:

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange asparagus on a baking sheet and toss them in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Space the asparagus well apart on the baking sheet, and roast, shaking the pan occasionally, until the asparagus is soft and starting to brown in places, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. In a small or medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until foamy. Add almonds and fry, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the almonds and butter over the asparagus. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat over high heat. Once hot, add the capers and fry, stirring continuously, until they have opened up and become crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the capers from the oil and sprinkle over the asparagus.