Lettuce

This decadent, delicious burger, featuring a 6-ounce patty, clothbound cheddar cheese, and the requisite "special sauce," comes from Ralph Lauren's restaurant (yes, that Ralph Lauren) in Chicago.

Who doesn't love a wedge? Ask your butcher to cut slab bacon into thick slices (about 1/4") to yield nice meaty pieces once they're crisped on the grill.

This standard diner salad may have petered out in the early '90s, but this version reminds us why it was popular in the first place. Smoky chicken and pork stand in for the typical drab turkey and ham, and the addition of herb-packed chimichurri dressing makes this salad fresh again.

Invite the gang to make their own lettuce wraps with fall-apart tender pork, rice, and pickled radishes and carrots.

Competition for the best burger in London has gone mad. Some burgers are gourmet and piled high with toppings, whereas others are thinner, simpler, wrapped in paper, steamy and sloppy. All I can say is my insanity burger is going to be right up there—the method is almost ritualistic in what it requires you to do to get close to burger perfection. I've also used the brilliant technique of brushing the burgers with mustard and a dash of Tabasco Chipotle sauce as they cook to build up an incredible gnarly layer of seasoning.

Here's a recipe for the whole family, a healthy version of chicken nuggets. Throw in a good measure of childhood nostalgia and enjoy.

There's really no other word for these burgers except: YUM. The flavoring and the satisfaction of a meal you can wrap your hands around is unmatched.

I live in New York, where Greek salads are a reliable diner staple. I love the combination of briny Kalamata olives and salty feta cheese mixed with crisp romaine lettuce and refreshing cucumbers. This somewhat deconstructed, twenty-first century version applies the "warm goat cheese salad" method to a Greek salad, coating fresh feta slices in egg wash and quinoa and then pan-frying. The result is incredibly delicious—and as good as it looks in the picture!

Once a way to make use of stale tortillas (by toasting and/or frying them), tostadas are so good that it wasn't long before people simply started using fresh tortillas. After biting into these layers of flavor—crunchy, creamy, luscious—you'll see why.

The secret to making this extraordinary spring salad? Remove and fry rotisserie chicken skin for a salty, extra-crispy topping.

The steak can be marinated a day in advance—in fact, it gets better.

As any deli aficionado will tell you, shredded lettuce—especially iceberg—is a glorious thing.

Made creamy with sieved egg yolk, this dressing is also especially delicious when spooned over sliced beets or boiled and cooled asparagus, green beans, or cauliflower.

Look for celery root that is firm—not spongy—at the bottom end.

Vibrant greens, handfuls of fresh herbs, nuts for crunch, and horseradish for bite. Ingredients are suggestions; feel free to mix it up.

Charred to a crisp: Not a statement usually associated with salads, but delicious nonetheless in this Mexican-inspired romaine number.

"Don't try this with iceberg," advises Roberta's chef Carlo Mirarchi. Flavorful, robust lettuces work best, allowing you to get grill marks on one side while the rest wilts.

Inspired by the classic steakhouse wedge, this salad gets a double hit of smokiness thanks to the bacon and grilled iceberg.