If cauliflower can be repurposed as rice and pizza crust and mashed “potatoes,” asking it to become croutons for a robust salad honestly seems like the least onerous of foods we can ask it to transform itself into. And it doesn’t hurt that—unlike some of those other sometimes dubious ideas—cauliflower croutons happen to be delicious.

It helps, of course, when you shower them with Parmesan cheese and crisp them in the oven.

The idea came to us in Udine, a hilltop town in the far reaches of Friuli-­Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy. At Hostaria alla Tavernetta, owner Roberto Romano serves a simple salad of lightly cooked kale, broccoli and beets sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, all piled over a dollop of romesco sauce, a tangy blend of roasted red peppers, olive oil, almonds and garlic.

Sprinkled over the whole affair was a mix of shaved Parmesan and tiny florets of blanched cauliflower. After several weeks of eating far too much pasta across many regions of Italy, it was a welcome infusion of vegetables. But we suspected it could be even more delicious with a simple tweak inspired by a regional dish.

Friuli is famous for crisply fried frico, a dish built from bits of cheese and vegetables—often potatoes—fried or baked until crisp. And they run a gamut of textures, from tender cheesy hash browns to toasty-crispy croutons.

This gave us the idea of taking those tiny cauliflower florets, tossing them with the cheese, then roasting them until both tender and wonderfully toasted and crisp. Tossed with kale and hazelnuts, and dressed simply with lemon juice and a bit more Parmesan, the result was the perfect cool-weather salad.

All without needing to ask cauliflower to awkwardly contort itself into something it shouldn’t.