Charred Caesar with Anchovy Breadcrumbs

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything. Wrap the dried romaine hearts loosely in a clean towel and refrigerate them, since wet leaves thin the dressing and will not char. If you are cooking for young children, older adults, pregnant people or anyone with a weakened immune system, choose a grating cheese made from pasteurized milk. Everything is measured and the romaine is dry and chilling.

Heat 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 whole oil-packed anchovy fillets and the grated garlic and stir, mashing the anchovies with the spoon, until they melt into the oil. Add 5 oz day-old crusty bread and stir often until the crumbs are deep golden and crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. Spread them on a plate to cool and crisp further.

Wipe out the skillet, add 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and heat it over high heat until it shimmers. Halve half the romaine hearts lengthwise, sprinkle the cut sides with 1/8 tsp fine salt and set them cut side down in the skillet. Press them flat and cook without moving until the cut sides are deeply charred in spots but the cores are still crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Move them to a cutting board, charred side up.

Mince the garlic for the dressing with 4 whole oil-packed anchovy fillets on the cutting board, then sprinkle them with 1/8 tsp fine salt. Press and drag the flat of the knife across the pile, scraping it back together, until it turns into a smooth paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape the paste into the large bowl.

Whisk 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, if using, 2 tbsp mild extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tsp black pepper into the paste until the dressing is smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon. If you make your own mayonnaise for this, use a pasteurized-in-shell egg, because the yolk is never cooked.

Taste the dressing on a romaine leaf. Aim for bold and savory, bright with lemon, sharp with garlic, loud with pepper and a little too strong on its own. If it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste. If it still tastes dull, add fresh lemon juice to taste. The dressing tastes bold and bright.

Spoon about a quarter of the dressing into the cup for the charred halves. Tear half the romaine hearts into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces and toss them with the dressing in the bowl, lifting from the bottom with your hands or tongs, until the leaves look lightly glossy with nothing pooling.

Divide the dressed leaves and the charred halves among plates to make 4 servings, and spoon the dressing in the cup over the charred halves. Grate 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano over the plates on the rasp so it lands like a snowdrift, then top with half the crumbs, 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest and black pepper to taste. Serve right away with the other half of the crumbs in a bowl at the table. Refrigerate any leftover dressing in a covered jar and use it within a few days. The salad is plated and topped.