Roast

Start with a platter of smoked salmon drizzled with olive oil and garnished with chopped chives and lemon wedges. Pour an Australian Shiraz to go with the roast, and serve sautéed teardrop tomatoes and the sweet potato puree . Top it all off with fresh raspberries and mango splashed with Sauternes.

Brining results in moist, tender meat. Be sure to use a large center-cut loin, which cooks more evenly than two smaller pieces tied together. Begin this recipe one day ahead. What to drink: A medium-bodied fruity red, such as Merlot, or a fruity white, such as Australian Sémillon.

Filet de Boeuf à la Bordelaise Active time: 3 hr Start to finish: 25 hr (includes making stock and soaking marrow)

The chilies add lots of flavor and a little heat.

This pesto-like sauce would be great with just about any grilled seafood.

These barbecue-flavored potatoes, from Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q in San Antonio, Texas, are terrific with grilled ribs, chicken, or beef.

Traditional flavors (honey and orange) and contemporary ones (cumin and chilies) come together in the glaze, which also gives the gravy some heat and zip. See how to carve a turkey.

Choose attractive oval-shaped sweet potatoes for the nicest presentation here.

This chicken is incredibly crispy and intensely flavorful, making it an exciting alternative to milder roast chicken recipes. Weighting the chicken ensures that each piece is of the same thickness, so they cook quickly and evenly. The weight also causes the fat under the skin to render, melting out and leaving the skin deliciously crisp. When you buy the chicken for this recipe, ask your butcher to remove the back and breast bones and halve the bird so that there is a drumstick and wing on each side.

Roasting the asparagus intensifies its flavor and is easy to do.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

"My husband and I often visit the Frenchglen Hotel at the base of Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon," writes Janis Gavin of Albion, California. "We go there for the bird-watching, the stunning views and the fabulous dinners— one of which was the inspiration for this dish." These game hens would be delicious served with mashed potatoes and sautéed greens.

What is unusual about this recipe is the conspicuous absence of garlic and the addition of artichokes to the roasting pan. Christos Koukoutsis, from the small village of Doloi, was adamant about the garlic when he explained to me how to make his village's Easter specialty. Olive oil—lots of it—is essential.

Start with a very high oven temperature to seal in the meat juices. (This is equivalent to browning meat before roasting.) When the meat comes out of the oven, let it rest before carving, or the juices will run out.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

This salad is so much lighter and fresher-tasting than mayonnaise-based versions. It gets crispy sweetness from sugar snaps and peppers and nuttiness from tahini. Keep in mind that tahini can turn rancid rather quickly (even in unopened cans, in our experience). We recommend buying it from a place with a high turnover, such as a Middle Eastern market or a natural foods store. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr