What to Cook

Cranberries and Honey

I’m not here to convince you that fresh cranberry sauce is better than canned, because I believe in both. But this version of fresh, which is barely sweetened only with honey, is a nice way to celebrate the simplicity of cranberries.

Smooth, Creamy, Mashed Potatoes Because I Guess We Must

Ask me for “the best mashed potato recipe,” and well, it might be this one. “To me, you are perfect.” There is a tight, concise ingredient list, all of which pull their weight.

Crushed Potato Gratin with Scallion and Herbs

Inspired by a gratin but with no motivation to use a mandolin. These potatoes have TEXTURE. They have a shower of herbs. These are MY potatoes, and soon, they might be yours.

Forever Roasted Squash with Crispy Sage

Squash is my orange vegetable of choice, and this particular one is magic—it roasts until it’s impossibly tender, the sage crisps, the butter browns, and everything tastes better than you ever thought possible.

Spicy Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic

If you’re going to skip a salad, at least you have these green beans. They’re long-ish cooked till tender, but never lose their vibrant punchiness thanks to a not-insignificant amount of lemon* and garlic (sliced and cooked with the beans then finely chopped added raw at the end).

Dilly Rolls

These rolls land somewhere between a fluffy roll and a fluffy biscuit, with a crunchy exterior and pillowy interior. Their texture defies logic, and they taste amazing.

Caramelized Maple Tart

For anyone out there who wished you liked pumpkin pie but just don’t, meet your new favorite Thanksgiving dessert. If you’re a novice baker, this is one of the easiest desserts you could make (and for the overachievers, this is a great make-ahead).

Bitter, Leafy Salad

This is a great bitter, peppery salad to serve alongside just about anything. It’s simple, it’s quick to make, and it’s an especially nice antidote to braised meats.

Mushroom Soup with Tofu and Toasted Garlic

Whether you have a cold, your apartment heat isn’t working, or you just need something light and brothy between holiday meals, this soup has you covered. It’s warming, nourishing, and exactly what the doctor ordered.

A Really Nice Fish with Cucumber and Crunchy Garlic Salad

While this fish is perfect in its boringness, it does absolutely cry out for a punchy, assertively flavored, dramatically textured salad. Chief among them, this one made with cucumber.

Alison's Bolognese

If you’re looking for a different kind of winter cooking experience, may I interest you in the rewarding act of slowly cooking a bolognese for a few hours? This classic-ish sauce will offer warmth and comfort on the dark, cold days you need it most.

Almost Classic Caesar Salad

Bolognese and a caesar salad? That’s amore. This is an all-occasion salad, but is particularly nice with a bowl of pasta. Bring a hunk of parmesan to grate at the table for true red sauce vibes.

Anchovy Apple Apricot Artichoke Arugula Asparagus

Bacon Banana Beans & Legumes Beef Blue Cheese Blueberry Bread Brisket Broccoli Broccoli Rabe Buttermilk

Cabbage Capers Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chicken Chickpeas Chiles Chocolate Cinnamon Citrus Clams Coconut Corn Cornmeal Cranberries Cucumber

Dates Dill

Egg Eggplant Escarole

Farro Fennel Feta

Grapefruit Green Beans

Harissa Hazelnut Hominy Horseradish

Kale

Labne Lamb Leek Lemon Lentils Lettuce Lime

Maple Syrup Matzo Mushrooms Mustard

Olive Onion Orange

Panko Parmesan Parsley Peach Peas Pecan Pecorino Pepperoncini Pickles Pistachio Plum Pork Potato Puff Pastry

Radicchio Radish Red Onion Ricotta Rutabaga

Sage Salmon Sardines Sausage Scallions Sesame Shallot Shrimp Squash Steak Strawberry

Tahini Tarragon Tofu Tomatillo Tomato Tortilla Trout Tuna Turkey

Walnuts

Zucchini