Sausage carbonara

Method

1. Boil a large pan of salted water over a high heat. Add the dry spaghetti and cook for 8-9 minutes, until just cooked through. (Stir once to separate strands once in the water.)
2. Squeeze the sausage meat from the skins and roll into small balls, about 4 per sausage. Dice the bacon into small squares.
3. Grab a large frying pan and set over a high heat with the olive oil. Add the sausage balls and bacon, then fry for a few minutes to brown before turning the heat down and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Peel and chop the garlic. Once the bacon and sausage are well browned and cooked through (cut into the sausage and have a look if you’re not sure) add the garlic and fry for another minute.
5. Separate the egg and add the yolk to a mixing bowl with about a tablespoon of the hot pasta water. Grate in the cheese and crack in plenty of black pepper, then mix all together.
6. Drain the spaghetti, saving some of the pasta water. Add the pasta and 2 tablespoons of reserved water into the main frying pan. Toss everything together and take the pan off the heat.
7. Pour the pasta into the bowl with the egg mixture, keep stirring really well and add more reserved water if you need to in order to get a silky sauce.
8. Serve up immediately and finish with the fresh basil (optional).