Roast

If you like, you can coat the pork with the coriander and chill it for an extra night before roasting for more flavor. It will also help the pork get a good sear.

Jarred kimchi delivers flavor and color in this roast chicken dish. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.

This zesty mayo dip would also go well with sliced red bell peppers and celery sticks before dinner; it’s amazing how many vegetables kids will eat when they’re actually hungry.

You need only a small amount of beer to flavor the sauce. We trust you know what to do with the rest of that bottle.

Ask for the smallest lamb your butcher has (like those from New Zealand), or buy a 3½–4-lb. piece of a leg.

The bacon fat is an obvious bonus to the crunchy texture in this roasted chickpeas recipe.

This chicken feels light and summery. That’s because there’s no mayo, just lots of herbs and spiced pita chips.

Adding vinegar to the chorizo topping cuts the richness of the sausage and brightens the entire dish.

Feel free to play with different herbs in the chimichurri recipe—that’s what Michael and Patrick Sheerin (brothers and co-chefs at Trenchermen, Chicago) have always done: “When we were younger, our mom would buy lots of herbs, but she’d never use them,” says Michael. “So we’d just blend them with garlic, oil, and vinegar.”

At Lafayette restaurant in New York City, the lamb is served with cooked quinoa that’s folded into couscous, but you could simply choose one or the other as a side dish.

Thanks to two very hands-off methods for the lamb and polenta, this is an excellent choice for a dinner party.

Serve this rich, glazed eggplant as a starter, or with rice and a simply prepared piece of fish for a main course.

Butterflying the meat in this roast pork loin recipe isn't difficult, but many butchers will do it for you.

Parcooking in vinegar water helps set the starches so the potatoes get crisp, rather than floury, when roasted.

Bigger picnic? Simply roast two birds at the same time.

Precooking the cauliflower in seasoned poaching liquid infuses it with flavor; roasting makes it crisp.

Creamy without being heavy, a dollop of lemony yogurt brings the dish together.

Using a mandoline to slice the carrots turns them into ribbons, and cooking them briefly keeps them from being too crunchy. If you don't have a mandolin, use a vegetable peeler.

Brining the chickens in buttermilk tenderizes the meat and keeps it moist. The flavorful pan juices are used to make croutons and a robust dressing for the pepper watercress and bread salad.

If using skin-on hazelnuts, rub them inside a clean kitchen towel after they've been toasted--the skins will slip right off. Serve the fish with a lightly dressed butter lettuce and herb salad.

The belly's thick layer of fat keeps the pork tender as it cooks. It's cooked low and slow to ensure the meat is tender, then crisped up over high heat.