Smoked Salmon Carbonara

Ingredients:

• 12 oz spaghetti - use De Cecco or a similar brand to get the most starch from your noodles for building the sauce
• 6 oz smoked salmon, shredded
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (Pecorino Romano makes a good substitute)
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• Burrata for serving, optional
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the water and stir til dissolved.
2. Cook spaghetti until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the salted pasta water (you likely won't need all of it, but it's better to have extra). Drain the pasta.
3. While pasta is cooking, in a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, fresh grated Parmesan, cream and fresh cracked black pepper together.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the 4 Tbsp butter. Sauté the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute - be careful not to burn it). Add the shredded smoked salmon and the cooked pasta.
5. Reduce heat to medium low. Toss to coat everything and heat for another 2 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the egg mixture. Stir and toss to coat, adding a couple small splashes of the hot pasta water. Stir and toss until the sauce has slightly thickened and sticks to the pasta. Top with burrata and more of the cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.