Recipes By Alison Roman
149 recipes found
Tiny, Salty, Chocolaty Cookies
You do not have to be a chocolate person to love this perfect, unfussy, snacky dessert, which is like the edge of a chewy brownie but in cookie form. Adapted from "Nothing Fancy" by Alison Roman (Clarkson Potter, 2019), these cookies require no special equipment, fancy techniques or chilling time, which means that even if you bake only once a year, you can still make these. Lightly sweet and definitely salty, it's ideal for the end of a meal.
Slow-Roasted Oregano Chicken With Buttered Tomatoes
There are about a million ways to roast a chicken, and people will always tell you that theirs is the best way. Here is the truth: If you smear a good, high-quality chicken with enough fat, season it with plenty of salt and roast it until the skin is brown, it will always be excellent. But it’s slow-roasting that gives you golden skin, tender meat and plenty of salty, savory chicken juices to serve as a sauce. From the simple assortment of ingredients to the ridiculously hands-off preparation, this recipe from Alison Roman's cookbook "Nothing Fancy" (Clarkson Potter, 2019) is casual in a way that feels almost lazy (but isn’t), with make-sounds-after-you-take-a-bite levels of deliciousness. To truly put it over the edge, add a few anchovies to the tomatoes.
Frozen Melon With Crushed Raspberries and Lime
Inspired by packed cups of Italian ice, this frozen melon dessert is the best way to enjoy melon (besides eating it fresh). Be sure to season it with enough citrus juice to give some dimension to the melon, which tends to read as simply sweet. Frozen melon can be made two weeks ahead, either scraped or unscraped. (If scraped, store in a resealable plastic container and re-fluff before serving.)
Buttered Stuffing With Celery and Leeks
Those of you who love stuffing know that it might be the only reason to host Thanksgiving. This version is an updated classic — no dried fruit, no surprise ingredients, no “twists” — just a very buttery, deeply savory stuffing made with garlic, leeks and a lot of celery. The bread is crusty and torn, never cubed (for those crisp, craggy edges), and the whole thing is baked in a baking dish, never inside the turkey (to keep it light and fluffy with a custardy interior and a golden-brown top). All stuffing needs two trips to the oven: once, covered, to cook it through and twice, uncovered, to crisp up the top. You can do the first bake ahead of time if you like, or do one after the other if the timing works out that way.
Quick Lamb Ragù
A simple sauce made mostly with pantry staples, this spicy, tomatoey take on a ragù, which is traditionally long-cooked, is unapologetically lamb-forward. If you prefer, you could use pork, beef or a mix of all three. Whatever you do, try not to skip the anchovies — they add a depth of flavor typically achieved by a long simmer, and anchovy-haters won't even know they are there.
Cold Noodles With Chile Oil and Citrusy Cabbage
While cold chile noodles are often seen as a side dish, here they act as the anchor of the entire meal. They are delicious on their own, and it would be hard to go wrong with any pairing. A salad of fresh herbs (cilantro, dill, mint, parsley) topped by a creamy tahini dressing is a good place to start. From there, feel free to include a mess of citrusy cabbage and whatever blanched, roasted or raw vegetables you may have on hand for texture. While these suggestions are optional (it doesn't have to be vegetarian: shredded rotisserie chicken or last night's pork chop would also be welcome), seek out saucy, herby, crunchy, tangy and spicy ingredients to liven up an already lively bowl of noodles.
Olive Oil-Roasted Chicken With Caramelized Carrots
Think of this as a weeknight chicken confit, cooked low and slow in plenty of olive oil along with sweet carrots and tangy lemon slices. Save that leftover oil and use it to roast vegetables, fry eggs, jump-start a pasta sauce or, of course, cook more chicken.
Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
A staple of any fast-casual restaurant, broccoli-cheddar soup has somewhat of a cult following on the internet. Thicker than cream of broccoli, this roux-thickened soup can be puréed completely smooth or left chunky and rustic. Either way, be sure to use the sharpest Cheddar available (white or orange work here). It’ll provide richness in addition to a necessary acidity.
Classic Cheesecake
If there’s one dessert that would least benefit from innovation, it would have to be New York-style cheesecake. No tricks, no twists; Just a crumbly graham cracker crust and lots of lightly sweetened cream cheese. Baking a cheesecake without a water bath might seem like you're tempting fate, but if you do so at a low enough temperature, it will cook the filling gently and evenly without the risk of curdling or scorching. While cracks on the cheesecake's surface won’t affect the taste, they can be unsightly and are most likely to occur when there’s a sudden temperature change (say, from the oven to the fridge). To reduce the chances of cracking, let the cheesecake rest in the oven a few minutes before transferring to the counter to cool completely.
Pasta With Wilted Greens, Bacon and Fried Egg
The success of this delectably simple weeknight pasta relies on two things: the quality of the bacon, and the sheer amount of freshly ground pepper. The bacon must have ample fat to render out (this is where the sauciness comes from) as well as a hearty, smoky flavor. As for the black pepper, more is more; getting enough of that subtle, floral spiciness will require more than a few turns from the grinder. And yes, there's an egg on top.
Parsley Salad With Fennel and Horseradish
I have always been the one at the Seder table to eat the parsley dipped in saltwater with enthusiasm. “You going to finish that?” I might ask my neighbor at the table when I see they have left theirs untouched after just a nibble. This salad is an obvious nod to the Seder plate, including both parsley (bitter herbs) and fresh horseradish, except it’s less ceremonial and more just a very delicious salad. I love, love parsley and think a well-seasoned bowl of it is something that most tables can benefit from, especially if those tables include braised pots of red meat. While parsley and fennel can be prepared ahead of time, the salad itself is best dressed right before you eat.
Crispy Potato Kugel
At its core, kugel is a casserole. It comes in both savory and sweet varieties, often made with egg noodles and vaguely sweetened. This version, made with potatoes, is decidedly salty and savory, with onions in the mixture and chives to finish. It can best be described as something between a Spanish tortilla and a giant latke; the potatoes are shredded, not sliced, there are eggs but no flour, and it’s got crispy edges and a creamy interior. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? The most annoying parts of this kugel are also the most important: grating the potatoes (I use a box grater, but you can use a food processor with the shredding blade) and wringing out their moisture. For that, I use my hands and a colander or strainer to save a kitchen towel or a cheesecloth, but you can use those, if you like. Traditionally made in a casserole-style baking dish, this kugel starts off in a cast-iron skillet, but a stainless-steel skillet would do the job, and honestly so would a baking dish, just know you may be sacrificing that crunchy underside.
Tomato Toast With Buttered Shrimp
Crisp, golden-brown toast is the perfect bed for impossibly ripe tomatoes, made even better when topped with saucy, garlicky shrimp. These fully assembled tomato toasts may require a knife and fork to properly tackle, but they are also wonderful eaten with your hands. Keeping the tails on the shrimp makes for a festive presentation, but feel free to remove them so you don’t have to deal with them as you eat.
Salted Pistachio Shortbread
This is one of those rare doughs that’s better when made in a food processor. Dense, buttery, salty and nutty, the cookies call for pistachios, but swap in walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, if you prefer. One thing to note: These cookies are best sliced after baking, not before. Fresh out of the oven, the cookie is very tender and easy to cut. Do it almost immediately, as the baked cookie hardens quickly. The result is an extremely pleasing arrangement of crisp-edged triangles that may look just a little like a Danish modernist interpretation of a Christmas tree.
Spicy White Bean Stew With Broccoli Rabe
Not quite a fridge clean-out situation, this extremely flexible stew can use up much of what you’ve got on hand. It’s vegetarian by nature, but feel free to start the pot with sausage, slab bacon or leftover ham if you’re feeling more omnivorous. If you can’t find harissa, use tomato paste and a pinch of red-pepper flakes for spiciness.
Crispy Pork Chops With Buttered Radishes
These crisp, panko-crusted cutlets are your weeknight answer to tonkatsu or Milanese with a simplified, one-step breading procedure, no eggs or flour required. Thin pork chops, either bone-in or boneless, are seasoned with salt and pepper, then simply pressed into panko bread crumbs before crisping up in a hot, oiled skillet. While any quick-cooking vegetable could be tossed in the brown butter and spooned over the chops, radishes are especially nice for the way they keep their bite even after a trip to the skillet. Whatever you do, don’t forget the lemon.
Brussels Sprouts Salad With Apples and Walnuts
Raw brussels sprouts can stand up to the boldest and most assertive of flavors. Pair the shredded sprouts with a garlicky lemon dressing, plenty of aged Parmesan and crushed toasted walnuts. Toss in something crispy and sweet (apples and pears are ideal) and a bit of something fresh (mint and pomegranate) for a balanced bite.
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
This vegetarian version of tortilla soup is no less complex than its chicken counterpart, thanks to plenty of vegetables, spices and a secret ingredient: canned chipotles in adobo. Smoked and dried jalapeños softened in a vinegar-tomato mixture, these little powerhouses do much of the heavy lifting in this vegetarian soup, offering depth and a certain meatiness to an otherwise light and tangy broth.
Tomato-Poached Fish With Chile Oil and Herbs
Poaching boneless, skinless fish fillets in a brothy sauce is a foolproof (and undeniably delicious) method for cooking fish. Here, go for meaty, mild-flavored, firm-fleshed varieties like cod, haddock, pollack, halibut or flounder. This flavorful sauce, made from burst cherry (or other small) tomatoes, sizzled shallots and toasted garlic, definitely has a summery vibe; feel free to substitute a can of peeled tomatoes if the real deal isn’t in season.
Coconut-Banana Pancakes
Coconut and banana pair up in a heavenly way, especially for breakfast. Enter these delectable pancakes, in which a bit of coconut flour is swapped for the usual all-purpose flour. A generous helping of banana lends a rich creaminess to the cakes. Be sure to have extra butter to drizzle on top, and you'll probably want to double the recipe. They're that good.
Cornmeal-Blueberry Pancakes
Pancakes are so easy to make that they encourage experimentation. Enter this cornmeal-blueberry variation, which feels like a weekend treat but is well suited for the weekday morning rush. Here, 1/2 cup of cornmeal is swapped out for a portion of the all-purpose flour, giving the pancake a wonderful texture. Make sure to dust the blueberries in flour before adding them to the batter; it will ensure even distribution of the fruit across the pancakes.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Falling somewhere between a frittata and a tortilla española, this breakfast casserole has everything you love about a classic bacon, egg and cheese sandwich: smoky bacon, perfectly set eggs, sharp Cheddar and, if you want (and you definitely do), tangy hot sauce. Thinly sliced potatoes are added for structure and heft, and cooking them will be the most time-consuming part of this whole dish. The great news is that it’s as delicious (if not more so) the next day, rewarmed or not. If you like, you can bake the casserole the night before and refrigerate, covered, when cool. To reheat, cover with foil and place in a 325-degree oven until warmed through, 25 to 30 minutes.
Classic Diner Breakfast
The beauty of a diner breakfast is that it’s different for everybody, but many consider this the most classic incarnation: eggs, bacon (or sausage) and crisp, salty hash browns. The trick to good hash browns at home: use a very hot, well-seasoned skillet or griddle, since potatoes have a tendency to stick if using stainless steel. Do not worry or fuss over trying to make them too perfect; good hash browns should always look a little unruly — it’s part of their charm. Here, the eggs here are prepared sunnyside up, but over easy, scrambled or poached would be great, too.
Linzer Cookies
Lightly spiced, jam-filled linzer cookies (a smaller version of the classic linzer torte) are a traditional sandwich cookie with a tender texture and subtle nutty flavor that comes from finely ground almonds in the dough. As with sugar cookies, which benefit from the addition of frosting, the dough for a linzer does not need to be too sweet: It's filled with a tangy raspberry jam and finished with plenty of powdered sugar. A hole in the top of the cookie gives the signature stained-glass-window effect, making it one of the most effortless and impressive treats you could make this holiday season.