I also like a great Caesar salad with anchovies, although I don’t know why some places say ‘with anchovies.’ If you’re making a proper Caesar salad, it’s going to have anchovies.

This year I grew lettuce on the porch in pots and pretty little grow bags with great success, but eventually the Romaine in particular bolts but of course we ate every little leaf from baby leaves to full heads of lettuce.  It was great fun so I might consider growing again when the weather cools off.

So what happens next?  A friend told me about someone that grows lettuce, tomatoes, etc. and to quote “Our commitment is to provide you, our local community, with nutritious, responsibly grown produce you can feel good about eating & that makes you feel good long after it’s gone.”, so naturally I was excited to buy from them, I haven’t bought lettuce in a store for months and we enjoy super fresh green’ N things on a daily basis.  The Romaine is wonderful, but as with my mini crop, it also vanishes until cool weather drops in again hence the “last Romaine standing” title.

One of my favorite salads is Nigella’s Nigella’s Caesar Salad from How to Eat with slight adaptations, the main change was to make the potatoes stovetop to be sure I didn’t overcook them, what a great salad and a nice change from the normal Caesar salad with fresh lettuce and happy chicken eggs from John & Janet.  

For the potatoes:
1 large boiling potato, peeled or unpeeled and diced
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced
About 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse sea salt

For the salad:
2 eggs
Leaves from 4 to 6 heads baby romaine lettuce or 2 to 3 heads regular romaine
Pinch salt, plus more, if needed
Black peppercorn mill
a few drops of  Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 400º

Toss potatoes, garlic, and olive oil together. Empty them onto a baking pan, and then roast them for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the preheated oven. When they’re glistening brown, I lay them on some paper towels and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. You don’t want them to go on the salad when hot, so cool potatoes on some paper towels for about 10 minutes.

*Alternately you can pan fry, but only add the garlic the last few minutes.

Put some water on for the eggs, put a matchstick into the pot, and then, when boiling, lower in the eggs and boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove and set aside.

Tear the romaine leaves into edible sizes and toss with the remaining 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil to coat well but lightly. Sprinkle over the salt and several grinds of pepper and toss again. Shake over about 6 drops of Worcestershire sauce, drizzle over the lemon juice, break in the eggs, and toss to blend. Correct the seasoning. Toss with the cheese and then with the potato croutons at the very last minute, as you bring it to the table – no sooner, or the salad will wilt.

Link to Nigella’s salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/caesar-salad-recipe