Boil water for the pasta. Put a large pot of salted water (about 1 tbsp of salt) over medium-high heat to boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for the time indicated on the package, minus one minute (as we’ll finish cooking the pasta in the sauce). Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, but reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, make the sauce.

Brown the sausage bits. Heat a frying pan, over medium-high heat, for 1 minute. Add the sausage bits a few at a time over a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until browned and just slightly crispy and some fat is released from the sausage (about 10-12 minutes).

Sauté the shallots and garlic. Remove the cooked sausage bits from the pan, draining them. You can do this with a silicone slotted spoon or spatula. Keep only about 1 tbsp of the released fat in the pan (discarding the rest). Add the minced shallot, and sauté over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until softened but not browned. Adjust the heat to lower if necessary. Add a pinch of salt, ground black pepper, and minced garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds.

Finish the sauce. Add 2/3 cup of pasta water to the pan, return the sausage bits, and add the roasted pepper strips, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add 1/3 cup of pasta water to the cream and mix to temper it, and add it to the pan. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the butter and mix until melted (it helps emulsify the sauce).