I'm a terrible cook and even I could make this Michelin-starred chef's favorite spaghetti recipe

When I asked Emett about the classic recipes he believes every home cook should know how to make, this carbonara by Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli — who runs Locanda Locatelli in London — was at the top of his list.

"This classic Italian dish can be knocked up in 10 minutes, and the recipe is the authentic combination of eggs, pecorino Romano, and guanciale with no cream," Emett told me.

"This is a dish you could make when in a hurry or to impress a friend, and is a must-have in any cook's repertoire."

Kitchen fatigue has hit me many times over these past few months, so I loved the fact that this recipe looked pretty simple and quick.

Plus, the dish was something different from my usual pasta "specialty" — some penne and canned marinara sauce (impressive, I know). Locatelli's carbonara looked gorgeous and impressive. Could I really make a restaurant-quality dish in just 10 minutes?

I was about to find out.

To whip up this carbonara, you'll need:

• 18 ounces of good-quality dried spaghetti
• 10 slices guanciale or pancetta (diced into ½ inch pieces)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns (plus extra if wished)
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 5 tbsp grated pecorino Romano cheese

I couldn't find guanciale or pancetta slices at the supermarket, so I just went with diced pancetta. One less thing to prep!

So far, so good.

Locatelli's recipe recommends frying the pancetta on medium heat for about eight minutes. I accidentally had the stove on high heat, so it was ready in five.

It would be the first of many little flubs in the span of those 10 minutes.

Locatelli's recipe calls for placing the pancetta on a warm plate to keep it crunchy.

This was the first time I'd ever seen a recipe call for a "warm plate," and I was a bit perplexed. Do I throw one in the microwave? In the oven?

Apparently both are tried and true options, as is the one my dad recommended — just running the plate under some hot water. Seeing as how I had recently chipped a wooden spoon in my parents' blender while making Reese Witherspoon's breakfast smoothie, this seemed like the safest bet for me.

My dad — knowing full well who his daughter is — wasn't too keen on the idea of me smashing up some peppercorns in his nice (and fairly new) pan.

So I whipped out our mortar and pestle and crushed the peppercorns up before throwing them in the pan with a few spoons of cooking water from the pasta.

After a long day of work (and a soul-crushing virtual boot camp class), I was a little burned out by the time I got to the kitchen — and more than ready for some pasta.

So I didn't realize that I should have cooked the pancetta in a pan that would be large enough to fit the pasta at a later step. I knew I had lost out on some of those delicious oils from the pancetta, but alas — time was ticking and I had to keep going.

If you do want to re-create this recipe, just note that Locatelli recommends stirring the peppercorns around to "lift up all the bits of guanciale or pancetta which may have stuck to the bottom of the pan."

The bowl, by the way, was also supposed to be warm, so I made sure to run it under some hot water as well.

My parents actually have an egg separator, but I wanted to try the traditional method. After all, this was about practicing new skills!

This part of the recipe surprisingly went off without a hitch. It was time to mix.

Locatelli's recipe serves six people, but I was only making enough spaghetti for myself and my parents. As I began to beat the eggs, I realized I had forgotten to adjust the recipe's measurements.

And as I added the "ladleful of cooking water" that the recipe calls for, I could see that my mixture wasn't getting creamy. It was downright soupy. Thankfully my dad was on hand and recommended that I grate some more cheese to balance it out, which did the trick.

It wasn't exactly by the book, but has anyone ever complained about too much cheese in pasta? I don't think so!

Locatelli also recommends saving some of your pasta water and adding it to the pan if your spaghetti looks too dry.

Emett notes that it's important to work quickly with your pasta once it's drained so that it can retain enough heat to cook the eggs without scrambling them.

As I tossed my pasta I was relieved to see that it looked nice and silky, just as the recipe had promised. But there was definitely more of the egg mixture than necessary, so after a fair bit of tossing I carefully poured out the extra liquid.

As per the recipe, I topped my plate of spaghetti with a little extra cracked pepper and some more pecorino Romano cheese.

I was amazed to find that, even with my hiccups, it actually looked nearly identical to the beautiful photo in Emett's cookbook. And, as promised, the dish only took about 10 minutes.

My pasta was super silky thanks to the smooth sauce, which was light but had a kick from the peppercorns. The pecorino Romano also gave everything a salty touch that added a little more depth to the flavor.

While I almost always go for red sauce pasta — both at home and when dining out — the carbonara proved to me that you can still get plenty of great flavor without a ton of tomatoes.

It's easy to see why Emett loves this dish so much. Locatelli's spaghetti alla carbonara is super simple and quick, but still looks really impressive.

The dish is a clear upgrade from my usual penne with tomato sauce, and it feels more mature as well. I would definitely whip this up for a date night or dinner party.

Next time, though, I'll definitely prep a little more beforehand — and use the right pan. But it's also nice to know that, even when I've had a long day, I can make this recipe with a couple of hiccups and it'll still taste great.

You can find Locatelli's recipe for spaghetti alla carbonara on page 50 of Emett's book "The Recipe."

• Read more:
• A Michelin-star chef shares 9 classic recipes every home cook should know how to make
• The ultimate guide of recipes by Michelin-starred chefs
• 8 easy dishes from Michelin-starred chefs when you're cooking for one
• 7 easy one-pot meals from Michelin-starred chefs for when you don't want to do the dishes
• This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author(s).