I usually try to be modest, but even my kids agree....I make the best Caesar!  This is a little twist on the classic, making it a brunch-friendly salad.  Anyway, I really seem to be on an egg kick lately, but they go so well with everything!  Anyway, here's how I do it....

Bacon and Egg Caesar Salad:

serves 4

1 head Romaine lettuce, cut and washed and taken for a spin in a salad spinner

1 cup croutons made from crusty bread

(Just cube or tear bread into chunks, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and toast)

8 slices pancetta, baked until crisp in the oven

(Bake between two sheet pans to keep them flat, and sandwich between parchment to keep from sticking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.)

4 eggs, poached

Mama Nelson's Caesar Dressing:

1/2 cup good quality mayo

2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press

1 anchovy, mashed with fork

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

freshly ground black pepper

flake salt, crushed between fingers

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Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth and taste.  Adjust seasonings to your liking.  Sometimes we add a splash of Balsamic, but Lilly doesn't really like vinegar, so I either leave it out, or sneak it in.  

Toss dressing with lettuce and croutons, divide into 4 bowls, and top each with 2 pancetta slices and 1 poached egg.  Enjoy with cracked pepper and grated Pecorino Romano on top.

*Photo beautifully shot by Rod Komis of Rod Komis Photography. Thanks, Rod!