Caesar Salad

Perhaps not the healthiest meal ever, but good for a diet cheat day! It's delicious and I make the dressing so often at the restaurant that I don't even need to measure any more.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Dressing:

• 2 small garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 2 anchovy fillets *Can be omitted, but it adds a great salty brininess (not fishy) 
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I usually add more than this at home, but it all comes down to taste) 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard 
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 cup Mayonnaise 
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I tend to have a block in my fridge at all times; Caesar dressing doesn't lend well to using the pre-grated powder Parmesan) 
• Cracked black pepper to taste 

Note: I use mayonnaise from a jar in this recipe. We make our mayo from scratch at the restaurant, but to save time at home i use the ready made. also, this is only for a small batch so I'd suggest making it as stated above before tweaking with more mustard or lemon juice.

For the Salad:

• Caesar dressing (see above) 
• Romaine lettuce 
• Freshly grated Parmesan 
• Capers *Optional 
• 3 or 4 Strips of cooked bacon *Not optional ;) 
• Salad Croutons ( I'll post my recipe next time) 
• Cracked black pepper to taste 

PREPARATION:

Add all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bow and mix until everything is incorporated into the mayonnaise.

Roughly chop the romaine lettuce and add to a large mixing bowl, add in a few tablespoons of the dressing and toss with forks or tongs.

Once you have dressed the lettuce (to taste) put it on your plate and top the bacon, parmesan, crutons capers and pepper.

*Pairs well with a grilled chicken breast or any cut of beef/steak. I also tend to add kale or raddichio to my lettuce mix.