recipesPotatoes au gratin is that rare side dish that feels equally appropriate at a fancy dinner party and on a Tuesday night at home with the family. That is to say, it’s incredibly easy to make, wonderfully decadent, and everyone loves it—even if no one is quite sure what to call it (potato gratin, au gratin potatoes, scalloped potatoes, that cheesy potato dish...we could go on).
Pick up russet or Idaho potatoes for this recipe; their starchy flesh makes them the best potatoes for soaking up the creamy sauce, while their sturdy skins keep the thin slices from falling apart. When simmering the cream, make sure it’s over a gentle heat (if it over-reduces, it will break). Slowly infusing and blending the creamy sauce ensures garlic and fresh thyme flavor the dish from corner to corner.
It’s the cheese (and sometimes an addition of breadcrumbs) that differentiates a gratin from scalloped potatoes. The latter comprises spuds simply sliced and baked in cream, while this potato gratin recipe gets a generous topping of nutty Gruyère cheese and a touch of Parmesan.
recipesA staple of Korean barbecue, bulgogi translates to “fire meat” (a direct link to the tradition of making it by grilling marinated beef over charcoal). This bulgogi recipe, which requires minimal prep time and is endlessly adaptable, is designed to be pan-fried on a stovetop. The sweet-salty bulgogi marinade pairs well with beef, chicken, or pork—for a vegetarian version, try this recipe with eggplant. In short: It’s an excellent weeknight main dish to keep in your back pocket.
If you’re going for the classic Korean beef bulgogi, the cut of beef is important. We like trimmed hanger steak or boneless short rib, but another tender, well-marbled cut like top sirloin, rib eye, or skirt steak will also work well here. The key is cutting the meat into thin slices so they absorb the marinade ingredients quickly—if you live near a Korean grocery store, you can pick up presliced beef or ask the butcher for Korean BBQ beef. Stir fry the meat in batches using a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat to help deliver those coveted crispy brown edges.
Traditional bulgogi marinade calls for puréed or grated fruit such as kiwi, apple, or pear. Any kind of pear will work with this recipe, but if you have access to Korean pears (or another type of Asian pear), use those instead. Use the short marinating time to set your table with Korean side dishes (known as banchan), including kimchi and spinach namul, as well as everything you need to wrap little bundles: steamed white rice with a garnish of green onions and sesame seeds, ssamjang, and lettuce leaves.
recipesWe enjoy a good throwback, so in 2015 we re-created BA’s Thanksgiving menu circa 1974—Jell-O mold and all—and found a sleeper hit: this mincemeat pie recipe. Its crust is golden brown and flaky and the filling is deeply fruity and laced with warm spices.
And before you ask, no, you do not need to make it with meat. Mincemeat pie, more commonly called mince pie in the UK, boasts one of the more confusing recipe names out there. In the Middle Ages, chopped meat, liver, or fish, along with chopped hard-boiled eggs and ginger were tucked into small pastries called chewette, according to the “Oxford Companion to Food.” Dried fruits were commonly added and by the 16th century, the name changed to minced or shred pies, which were made for Christmas as they still are today. Fast-forward to the 19th century and meat had mostly disappeared from mincemeat.
Some traditional recipes still call for beef suet (fat from around a cow’s kidneys); but here we use schmaltz or butter—everything else is vegetarian. The mincemeat filling ingredient list is lengthy, but the steps are simple and if you don’t like one of the many dried fruits, you can easily replace it with more of the ones you do like. The filling produces enough for two pies. If you plan to make both at once, you’ll need four batches of this Actually Perfect Pie Crust so you can finish the pies with a lattice-top crust. Serve them warm with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy a slice at room temperature the next morning for breakfast.
recipesThis recipe, part of our Throwback Thanksgiving feature, is from our 1970 issue. Mincemeat can be purchased at specialty baking shops, or made with a combination of dried fruits, rum or brandy, brown sugar, and baking spices. It's traditionally mixed with beef suet, but you can substitute butter or schmaltz.
recipesThis recipe, part of our Throwback Thanksgiving feature, comes from our 1974 issue. As the magazine states: "To even consider Thanksgiving without turkey is mutiny on the bounty!"
recipesYou’re familiar with French dip, of course. In a stroke of holiday genius, you’ll use the turkey carcass to make a dark poultry stock with warming spices, a little sugar for lip-smacking goodness, and fish sauce for saltiness and “can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it” depth. Sandwiches never had it so good.
recipesAny chewy grain, such as wheat berries, farro, or even brown rice, can replace the barley.
recipesMint, ginger, fennel, and cayenne are known for their digestive properties. Turn this into a spritzer by using club soda instead of water.
