Buttery Lemon Pasta with Almonds, Arugula, & Andouille

My girlfriend Jessica asked me for this recipe from the New York Times and I noticed I had all the ingredients, so I thought why not give it a whirl. I added a bit more garlic and butter, because, you know, go big or go home, right? I also paired it with some broiled andouille sausage, partly for taste, but also partly for alliteration.

INGREDIENTS

Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sliced almonds
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
4 to 5 ounces baby or wild arugula, coarsely chopped, or use baby kale or spinach (4 to 5 cups)
Andouille sausage
Grated Parmesan, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is 1 minute shy of being al dente, usually a minute or 2 less than the package instructions. Scoop out about 1½ cups pasta water, then drain pasta.

While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden-brown and the butter smells nutty and toasty, 3 to 4 minutes. (Watch carefully to see that it doesn’t burn).

Stir in almonds, rosemary, garlic, and red-pepper flakes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are toasted and slightly darker in color, about 1 minutes.

Add about 1 cup pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add lemon juice, zest, ½ teaspoon salt and a large pinch of black pepper, then add drained pasta and toss well. Add arugula, tossing until it wilts. Simmer for another minute, if needed, to thicken the sauce until it’s thick and glossy. If the mixture seems dry, add more pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time.

To broil the sausage, cut slits in your sausage down the length on each side and broil on the top shelf for 8-10 minutes, flipping each sausage on its other side halfway through the time.

Taste and add more salt, red-pepper flakes and lemon juice, if needed. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.