Brown Butter Linguine with Sage and Parmesan

Does this recipe need explanation?  It's low on vegetable content, but high on gooey, cheesy beautifulness.  And if you haven't made anything with browned butter yet, this is a great way to appreciate just how cheesy and nutty it gets, because that's basically what the sauce is.  You can add shrimp or throw in some spinach to the end of the cooking time to make this slightly more well-rounded, if you must...

Brown Butter Linguine with Sage and Parmesan

Serves 4

1 pound linguine
6 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Bring a well-salted pot of water to boil.  Cook linguine according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the butter or medium heat, and continue to cook until it begins to turn golden and smell nutty/cheesy (this should take up to 20 minutes).  Add the shallot, sage, and capers and fry until shallot begins to brown and the sage and capers get a little bit crisp, about 6 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta plus about 1/8 cup of the cooking water to the skillet along with the salt, lemon zest, red pepper, and cheese.  Toss, low heat, and cover.  Serve  piping hot when the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).