What does one head of roasted garlic, a chopped hard-cooked egg, and a few crushed, flash-sauteed anchovies get you? The most delicious, albiet peculiarly stinky side dish I have made to date. Now I don’t suppose the average Jane would find this rather rustic dish pleasing. But let me assure you that the smell dissipates, and what you are left with is a wintry assemblage of hearty ingredients ready for the eating.

The combination of cauliflower and egg may be familiar to some, it certainly was to me. This duo was often made by my mom; then, it was just an altogether different dish. She would steam a batch of snowy-white florets, mix them with a bit of melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and then plunk a sieved hard-boiled egg on top. A very hard-boiled egg. With a bluish cast to the yolk, a springy white, and a sulfuric smell that made my little body cringe. I was not fond of eggs of any sort as a child.

Well, I got past my egg phobia, (along with my slippery fish phobia). I cook my eggs a bit differently than my mom. I like to think of my hard-cooked egg as just set– the oxymoronic hard-cooked egg, if you will. The yolk just barely holds together, never crumbly, and almost sumptuous in nature. Cauliflower I love, especially roasted, doused with olive oil. With an exterior that is crisp and an interior that is chewy and pleasingly soft, cauliflower is a thing of cruciferous beauty.

This is a dish that warrants experimentation. Roast a head of cauliflower, broken into florets, tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper, at 400 degrees for about forty minutes. (I used a golden cauliflower. Not much different in taste, but a pop of bright, yolky color.) Meanwhile, drop an egg or two into gently simmering water for 10-11 minutes. Peel the eggs, and coarsely chop. Crush a few oil packed anchovies (more for a bracing, briny flavor, less for the timid), and saute briefly in olive oil. Then assemble your side dish. Layer the roasted cauliflower on the bottom, sprinkle with chopped egg, drizzle with anchovy-oil mixture, and strew with freshly minced parsley.

I jest about the stench of this side dish. It smelled wonderful, and tasted deeply savory. However, this is not a dish for those meek of taste. But served with a roasted chicken, it was a warm and satisfying meal.