Root Vegetable

Use a metal cake tester or thin paring knife to check the potatoes; they should still hold their shape but offer no resistance when pierced.

To keep the burgers juicy, don't pack the meat too tightly.

Beets' red hue is pretty, but the stains—not so much. Scrub cutting board ASAP with hot, soapy water.

The beauty of a frittata is that it can be filled with just about anything, but the wild mushrooms in this one are especially delicious when combined with fluffy eggs and Cheddar cheese. To fill up the middle, I added green onions, peas, potatoes, and fresh thyme. It's actually easier to make this frittata than to go out to eat. Such a beautiful thing.

Kick off your Independence Day bash with a patriotic take on homemade chips featuring baking potatoes, purple potatoes, and beets that are sliced and then fried into a hot, crispy red, white, and blue snack. Gather your ingredients and check out our tips on the dos and don'ts of deep-frying.

Parcooking in vinegar water helps set the starches so the potatoes get crisp, rather than floury, when roasted.

Scoop up this vibrant condiment with wedges of warm pita.

Toum bi Zeit I had struggled for years to get this sauce right—clear white, creamy, and pungent. But it was only when my Lebanese friend and food writer Anissa Helou offered the suggestion of strained yogurt instead of the customary dampened bread or mashed potato that the whole thing began to come together for me. This is delicious but—obviously—for garlic lovers only. It is best made with a mortar and pestle, as a food processor brings out an acrid flavor.

An abundance of mustard seeds grows in California's Napa Valley—as it does in the south of France; the regions share a similar climate. It makes sense, then, that many of the same ingredients feature prominently in both cuisines. These potatoes, grilled with a mustardy aioli (basically, garlic-scented mayonnaise) and served with a scattering of herbs, would be at home on either region's table. Delicate parsley, chives, and tarragon are known collectively as fines herbes and are a staple of Mediterranean cooking.

Sautéing is another fast way to make a meal, especially when the pan juices are turned into a sweet and savory sauce, as they are here. This comforting dish features an array of autumn ingredients—apples, fennel, and sweet potatoes—roasted in the oven to caramelize lightly and bring their sugars to the forefront. The sauce, which mingles apple cider with the meaty browned bits in the skillet, is sharpened with a bit of Dijon mustard to balance the sweetness.

I don't know why some people don't like mackerel and why it's not more widely served in the States. It's such a lovely fish, cheap and plentiful, and, served with this gently Spanish vinaigrette, an absolute winner. Make sure you dress the potatoes while they are still warm as they'll take on the dressing much better.

When cooked just right, the potatoes will be tender but should still hold their shape.

A stunning, veggie-packed bowl of spring goodness.

Although it's reason alone to keep a rotisserie chicken on hand, this salad would also be great with shrimp or sliced leftover pork chops.

Serve the shrimp on toast to soak up the delicious pickling liquid.

Herbs in the dressing beg for herbs in the salad, too. We toss this vinaigrette with Bibb lettuce and lots of the tender green herbs— like mint, chervil, and parsley—that we grow in our window box.

Here's a recipe that justifies the existence of that food processor grating disk (you didn't throw it out, we hope). If you don't have one, a box grater will do.

Onion flavor is layered in this dish: The greens have a brightness to balance the bulbs' sweetness, the cooking liquid becomes a buttery sauce, and fresh chives deliver a high note to finish.

This satisfying salad is great alongside broiled fish, roast chicken, or a simple steak. To turn it into a vegetarian meal, fold in sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Trimming tender baby artichokes is simple. As you go, transfer them to lemon water to keep them from turning brown.