roasted asparagus with crunchy parmesan topping

Ingredients

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan.
Rinse asparagus and break off woody bottoms. Peel if thick. Lay stalks in a baking dish that will hold them in two or three layers. If the asparagus are thick, add a splash of water. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper; place in oven.
Roast until the asparagus are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing a spear with point of a sharp knife; it should slide in but meet a little resistance. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made as much as two hours before serving; just leave asparagus at room temperature.).
Turn on broiler and place rack as close as possible to heating element. Top asparagus with cheese-crumb mixture and run under broiler to brown for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.