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1
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
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2
Trim bottom of asparagus spears at point where they turn pale and tough.
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3
If spears are medium to thick, peel lower two thirds of the trimmed spears with sharp vegetable peeler.
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4
Thin spears needn't be peeled.
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5
Place them in a bowl, add chopped sage, olive oil and a light sprinkle of salt and toss lightly.
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6
Spread asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until the spears are slightly limp -- 4 to 8 minutes depending on their thickness.
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7
Remove from oven and let cool.
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8
Heat olive oil in a 1 1/2 to 2 quart saucepan to 330 degrees.
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9
Drop in half of the sage leaves and turn them in the oil with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon.
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10
Fry for only 10 to 15 seconds, do not let the leaves brown.
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11
Then remove them to paper towels to drain.
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12
Fry the remaining sage leaves and sprinkle them all lightly with salt.
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13
They should crisp when they cool.
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14
The sage can be fried up to 1 day ahead of time -- store in airtight container at room temperature.
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15
Shave the Parmigiano cheese into thin curls.
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16
For the dressing, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped sage, salt, pepper in a small mixing bowl, whisk in the oil.
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17
When ready to serve, toss asparagus with the dressing in a large bowl.
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18
Arrange the dressed asparagus on a serving platter, sprinkle with Parmigiano curls and with the fried sage leaves.
