What to Cook

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Garlic, Citrus, and Cilantro

Because I don’t really love braised, shredded meat, I think this large, flavorful, fatty cut of meat is best slow cooked, then sliced when it’s just tender enough.

Crispy Chicken Legs with Rosemary, Tiny Potatoes, and Sour Cream

As the chicken slow cooks, the fat melts into the oil and infuses with garlic and rosemary, leaving you with something so delicious that it’s basically worth its weight in gold.

Paprika-Rubbed Sheet-Pan Chicken with Lemon

The low-and-slow treatment ensures that none of the spices or bits of garlic burn, while giving the chicken fat plenty of time to render out slowly and evenly.

Cumin Lamb Chops with Charred Scallions and Peanuts

While I’d be perfectly happy with this plate of lamb chops for dinner, serving it alongside some steamed rice or a few pieces of flatbread to sop up all the juices would also be a good idea.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress

“This chicken-in-a-bag is so good, she should sell it on the street.”

Perfect Steak with Buttered Radish Toast

A pretty good (dare I say mandatory) move here is to take any remaining radishes and dip them into the meat juices from the pan. This is called “a radish snack”

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two

Larger chops, whether pork or steak, are fattier and richer in flavor than thinner chops and are also nearly impossible to overcook.

Impostor al Pastor

This is the kind of low-maintenance dinner you can pull out on a Sunday (really!), when the four people who were supposed to come over turn into fourteen people.

Skillet Chicken with Crushed Olives and Sumac

This recipe can be infinitely adapted.

Swordfish-Like Steak with Crispy Capers

No sticking, no tearing—just golden brown crust, almost like steak (almost). So why not treat it like one?

Dad’s Scotch Gravlax

My dad dabbles in cooking (mainly taco nights and grilling in the summer), but Ina Garten he is not.

Smoked Trout with Mustard and Apples

You could definitely pump this up with some giant croutons, or even some cooked spelt or wheat berries, but I really enjoy the lightness of this one as is.