Tomato Caesar salad with bacon-parmesan crisps

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 slices cooked, crisp, thick-cut bacon

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour

4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus for drizzling

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

5 medium or large heirloom tomatoes, sliced crosswise ½-inch thick

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Baby arugula or watercress, for topping

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Finely chop the cooked bacon.

In a small bowl, mix together the bacon, ½ cup Parmesan and flour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the bacon-cheese mixture into four mounds on baking sheet and flatten them into 3½-inch rounds. Bake until golden brown and the cheese melts, about seven to eight minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet five minutes, then transfer to a rack using a thin spatula and let cool completely.

To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk the anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and the remaining 3 tablespoons of cheese.

Arrange the tomatoes on a platter, sprinkling each layer with salt, pepper and some of the vinaigrette. Scatter the watercress on top and drizzle with olive oil. Break the crisps into bite-size pieces and add to the salad.

This recipe is adapted from Food Network magazine, September 2012 issue.