Caesar Roasted Broccoli

I spent a lot of time in New England this summer feasting on seafood and ice cream. Vegetables weren’t as high on my priority list — until I realized my body was craving something green. So when I saw a roasted broccoli side dish on the menu at an Italian restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island, I ordered it immediately.

What arrived was a plate of slightly charred large broccoli spears tossed in a creamy dressing, then topped with toasty breadcrumbs and showered with fluffy, snow-like Parmesan. It was so good I don’t even remember what else we ate that night. I knew right then and there that I would need to recreate this dish at home.

The result is this Caesar roasted broccoli, which, thanks to its assortment of bold flavors and textures, is everything I want in a veggie side: The broccoli is sweet, the dressing is salty and creamy, the breadcrumbs are crispy, and the Parmesan is working its cheesy magic. My daughter and I ate almost an entire batch for dinner one night, and I won’t be surprised if you do, too.

Sure, you’ll need broccoli, but here are the other major players in this delicious dish.

• Anchovies: This is a real Caesar dressing, complete with raw egg yolk (although you can sub mayo) and anchovies. You can use anchovy fillets packed in oil or anchovy paste from a tube, and I promise that they don’t make the dressing overly fishy. If you skip them, make sure to bump up the salt considerably in the dressing.
• Parmesan: Good Parmesan cheese is key here, as it goes into the dressing and gets very finely shaved on top. Pre-grated Parmesan is too crumbly and mildly flavored, so you’ll want to buy a high-quality wedge (look for Parmigiano-Reggiano) and grate your own.
• Lemon: Fresh lemon juice cuts through the richness of the Parmesan and mellows out the sharp flavors of the garlic and anchovies in the dressing.
• Panko breadcrumbs: These light and flaky breadcrumbs are toasted in olive oil to create a super-crispy topping.

Start by roasting the broccoli on a preheated baking sheet, which gives the cooking and browning a jump-start, creating crispy-edged broccoli in less time. While the broccoli’s cooking, toast the panko in a pan on the stovetop, then make the dressing.

I love a true Caesar dressing, so this dressing is a mixture of garlic and anchovies chopped into a paste, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, grated Parmesan, neutral oil like grapeseed or canola (olive oil is too strongly flavored here), and a thickener in the form of egg yolk or mayo. If you’re nervous about using raw egg yolk, get pasteurized eggs at the store, which have been heated to kill bacteria and are safe to eat raw, or just opt for mayo. I personally prefer the rich flavor the egg yolk adds, but mayo does a great job of thickening the dressing.

When the broccoli comes out of the oven, drizzle it with the dressing and toss to combine. Pile the dressed broccoli on a platter, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, and then have fun with the last part: Grab a Microplane (or use the finest holes on a box grater) and make a snowy pile of Parmesan on top of the broccoli. For restaurant-style drama, do this at the dinner table with your family watching.