Oven Bake

An extra-sharp raw-milk cheddar from England is the perfect counterpoint to the sweet sautéed leeks in this upscale twist on mac and cheese.

Brie is even more indulgent when warm and covered with mushrooms. Serve this appetizer on a cold evening with a big red wine.

A French take on pizza, featuring tapenade, sliced Yukon Gold potatoes, and red pepper, as well as real imported Fontina.

A terrific side for roast pork loin or roast chicken. Smoky cheese and bacon are stirred into rich and creamy mashed potatoes. You can mash the potatoes with a regular masher or—even better—a ricer.

This gratin is more elegant than your usual broccoli and cheese casserole, thanks to a custardy base and plenty of parmesan.

The delicate crust of this galette gets a warm spiciness from fresh sage.

During a research trip to Budapest, food editor Paul Grimes ate his way through plates of wild mushrooms for dinner and servings of sweet strudels for dessert. When he returned, he came up with this elegant hors d'oeuvre of thin cylinders of phyllo filled with the woodsy intensity of mushrooms. Brushing the phyllo layers with duck or goose fat lends an authentic flavor; butter also works perfectly well.

Increasingly available in supermarkets, the firm wheat protein known as seitan is mild in flavor and versatile in the kitchen. In this casserole, it takes on the earthy flavor of mushrooms, adding heartiness and heft.

Editor's note: Oysters Bienville is usually served as an appetizer. Created at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans, it is also found on many menus throughout the city and there are several versions. This one by the late Leon E. Soniat, Jr., is easy to prepare and quite authentic.

Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. If you don't have a Caesar salad on your menu in California, the customers will rebel. For a zesty Provençal touch, the Caesar at Spago is served with croutons slathered with our homemade tapenade. When you can find baby romaine, use it. If you can't, trim the outer leaves of the larger variety and, if necessary, break them into bite-size strips.

_Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. This recipe originally accompanied Black and Green Olive Tapenade._ For the best and tastiest result, these should be prepared when the tomatoes are in their prime. The recipe can be doubled or tripled if desired.

This customizable dinner is made to be deconstructed. Set out the fillings, and let the kids assemble their own at the table.

Freeze these for up to a month for a quick microwaveable dinner.

Seriously, how is a potato chip any different from the fried potato that’s traditionally part of this Spanish staple?

The tall, crisped "chips" look striking when bunched in a tumbler, and they're terrific with cocktails. Roasting the leaves coaxes out a nutty, briny flavor that's kind of addictive.

In the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, lasagne bolognese is usually made with a besciamella sauce. Italian-American cooks often replace that time-consuming step with ricotta. In this wickedly good interpretation, food editor Melissa Roberts combines the two traditions by whisking milk into some of the ricotta, creating a billowy pseudo-besciamella (the remaining ricotta mixture is stirred together with spinach). We rarely call for specific brands, but we did find that widely available Barilla no-boil dried noodles produced an exemplary lasagne. An egg pasta, this one comes very close to the flavor and delicacy of homemade.

In the waste-not mentality of Italian cucina povera, panfried patties made with eggs and bread crumbs are a great use for leftover eggplant parmigiana ingredients. In fact, the patties are so incredibly delicious that we made them the crisp showstoppers in this fun reconstruction.