Roast

For this vegetarian dinner, we roast thick wedges of cabbage, carrots, and tofu in a spiced coconut milk sauce until they're wonderfully softened and caramelized.

Roasting the cabbage before it goes into this rich, cheesy gratin does double duty: it deepens the vegetable’s savory flavor and removes excess moisture from the creamy mixture.

When you mix hot sauce with butter, it turns into a spicy, creamy spread that’s perfect for melting atop burnished sweet potato halves, bringing them to life.

These roasted brussels sprouts get amazingly crispy on the outside and deliciously tender within. The date molasses–brown butter glaze makes them even better.

Starting hot creates good browning from the get-go, while a lower cruising temperature finishes the meat without drying it out.

Dijon mustard mixed with honey serves as a sweet-tart marinade for this chicken dinner, while the whole-grain mustard adds dynamic pops of flavor to the dressing.

This vibrant, tangy dish is an example of the Moorish influence on Spanish food. It’s also popularly made with quail or duck—another Moorish influence.

In this recipe, halibut gets smothered in roasted garlic and cheese before cooking under the broiler. The fish becomes tender and flaky, while the top layer turns golden brown and crisp.

Persillade is an herby sauce, a little like a French pesto, made with ingredients we have an abundance of in the US.

Tender, sweet and well-spiced stewed meat topped with cheese-encrusted creamy mashed potatoes…need I say more?

Sure, you could use just one kind of potato for this pomegranate-topped side dish, but we love to combine a few. Try orange and purple sweet potatoes plus Yukon Golds. 

Butternut squash melts into the polenta as this creamy, make-ahead dish cooks, while chunks of Fontina create gooey pockets of cheese throughout.

Crisp nuggets of Italian sausage and tender broccoli rabe swathed in a blanket of cozy cheese sauce—this is the definition of cold-weather comfort food.

The chile paste for this pork is added in two stages: Initially it acts as a marinade and permeates the interior of the roast. After a second addition is applied, it’s roasted over high heat to create a spicy, toasty bark.

These roasted turnips are dressed in a sweet, salty, slightly spicy togarashi-spiked sauce that keeps you coming back for more. 

Sweet and smoky roasted carrots are blended with chickpeas, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs—it’s the perfect companion to seeded crackers or good bread.

Here, eggplant gets halved lengthwise, drenched in olive oil, and roasted. It never quite crisps, but it browns and caramelizes while the rest of it turns to the texture of a perfectly just set 6-minute egg.

Some of the easiest meals to prepare are those made from simple roast vegetables. They're no fuss and require minimal cleanup—exactly what you need after a long day.

Baking intensifies the sweetness of sweet potatoes and gives the bright orange flesh a kind of fluffiness—light and soft at the same time.