Tagliatelle with brown butter, sage, and parmesan

Method

1. Salt the water.Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it well, about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt per gallon. It should taste seasoned, like a good broth.
2. Fry the sage in brown butter.In a wide skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When it foams, add the sage leaves in a single layer. Cook, swirling, until the leaves turn crisp and darker green and the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, 3 to 4 minutes. Lift the sage onto a paper towel. Take the pan off the heat.
3. Cook the pasta.Drop the tagliatelle into the boiling water and stir to separate. Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 3 minutes; start tasting at two. Before draining, scoop out a full cup of the cooking water.
4. Emulsify.Return the skillet to medium heat and add a half cup of the pasta water to the brown butter; it will sputter. Add the drained pasta and toss constantly with tongs for about a minute, until the butter and water come together into a glossy sauce that clings.
5. Add the cheese off the heat.Take the pan off the heat. Add the parmesan in two handfuls, tossing between each and adding splashes of pasta water as needed to keep it loose and shiny, not clumpy. Season with pepper and taste for salt.
6. Serve right away.Pile into warm bowls, crumble the fried sage over the top, add more parmesan and a few drops of lemon if you like. This sauce waits for no one.