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Pick firm, bright-green celery stalks with lots of leaves for this refreshing dish from The Bristol in Chicago.

While the restaurant makes its own mayonnaise and pickles, we used our favorite store-bought koshers and Hellmann's mayo—and won raves.

King trumpet mushrooms star in this salad served at Brooklyn's Prime Meats. They're available at many supermarkets, but you'll find them at better prices at many Asian markets. Crimini (baby bella) mushrooms are a fine substitute.

There's no need to cook beets when they're very thinly sliced. Renee Erickson and Marie Rutherford of Seattle restaurant the Whale Wins mellow them out with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Evan and Sarah Rich of San Francisco's Rich Table shock the carrots in ice water after shaving to give them a wavy shape and slightly soften their crunch.

...so you might not have an open fire, but that doesn't mean you can't have roasted chestnuts! Follow this recipe, and you won't go wrong.

The fried olives used to garnish this colorful salad just might become your new favorite. Try scattered over crostini or salads.

Greek yogurt gets transformed into a bright fresh cheese in this Middle Eastern-style dish. Spread it onto toast with jam for breakfast, or serve as part of a cheese platter.

A malfatto (Italian for "badly made") is a tender dumpling with rustic character. (Think gnocchi, but bigger.)

Russets are ideal for this latke recipe. Their high starch content means you won't need flour to bind the pancakes.

These one-ingredient lacy cheese crackers are more impressive than any cheese board.

Chef Viet Pham at Forage in Salt Lake City says: “For maximum flavor, I like to toast the nuts until they’re almost burnt.”