dinner

Grilled Whole Fish

Follow this expert chef's simple steps for succulent, lemon-infused whole grilled fish. It’s easy enough for weeknight dishes, but it’s company-worthy, too.

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Lemony White Beans

Crispy chicken thighs are served over bright and lemony white beans in this 30-minute weeknight dinner.

Banh Mi Smash Burgers

These banh mi sandwich–inspired burgers feature crispy pork patties and a spicy chile-garlic mayonnaise.

Madeira Braised Short Ribs with Parslied Potatoes

Emeril Lagasse uses boneless short ribs for this dish. The butcher at any market will remove the ribs for you.

Spring Vegetable Potpies

Morels, peas, asparagus, baby potatoes and carrots, and herbs are tucked under a buttery crust and bubbling with flavor.

Depending on your mood and the time of day, you can serve grinder sandwiches with deli staples like potato chips, pickles, a small cup of macaroni salad or potato salad, or something fresher like a green salad or a grilled vegetable platter. If the sandwich alone is enough, grab a cold, refreshing drink to wash it down, like a can of good sparkling water or a glass of homemade bubbly water from a soda maker.

Garbage Bread

My family loved slices of garbage bread served with a dipping sauce. Since this is a cheeseburger bread, we chose to pair the bread with copycat McDonald’s special sauce. Other dipping sauces to try include regular ketchup, ranch dressing, copycat Popeye’s Mardi Gras mustard and copycat Chick-fil-A sauce. Serve this comfort-filled bread with favorite comfort food sides like baked onion rings, French fries or creamy coleslaw.

Spinach Shrimp Fettuccine

Serve spinach shrimp fettuccine as a one-pot meal, or set a light mixed salad and some crusty French bread on the side. Homemade salad dressing takes minutes and enhances the meal’s upmarket feel. Lemony Italian dressing matches the flavors in the spinach shrimp pasta, and honey mustard dressing balances the pasta’s sharp garlic and acidic tomatoes with a bit of sweetness. For a hot side dish, roast another vegetable like asparagus, broccoli or green beans. For a multicourse meal, set out the bread slices first with green olive tapenade and follow the pasta with berries with vanilla custard.

Torta Pasqualina

Torta pasqualina is best served with a crunchy, refreshing green salad, roasted vegetables and almost any great Easter side dish. I love it with au gratin potatoes, parsnip puree, golden and flaky popovers and Parmesan risotto.

English Muffin Pizza

A simple salad is the perfect side for these English muffin pizzas. You can’t go wrong with a classic Caesar salad or a chopped garden salad. Another good idea is to pair healthy dips with assorted veggies, like strips of bell pepper and carrot and celery sticks. It’s a delicious and easy side for the little ones to snack on while they wait for the cheese to melt.

Oyster Stew

The stew is warming and filling enough for lunch or dinner, but crackers or crusty homemade bread are welcome. You can serve oyster stew with a light salad (like this nutty green salad), or pair it with a side of steamed or roasted vegetables. If you want a slightly sweeter side to offset that briny richness, make our recipe for maple-ginger glazed carrots.

Soy Sauce Chicken

Pull out the wok for homemade fried rice or make a batch of scallion pancakes to keep the Chinese cuisine vibes going. Round out the meal with a simple green vegetable like steamed broccoli, snow peas or Chinese cucumber salad.

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