It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.
January 9
The crispiest latkes
I had some potatoes leftover from my holiday cooking, so I decided to make associate cooking editor Nina Moskowitz’s Classic Potato Latkes. I’ve tried many recipes, and these are the crispiest version imaginable. Potato starch is what ensures golden edges (with an audible crunch!) and a fluffy center. Sour cream and applesauce are traditional accompaniments but you can sub in Greek yogurt or your favorite chutney, add some chili crisp or hot sauce, or serve them alongside your morning eggs. —Jaia Clingham-David, former research fellow
Ina’s brownie pudding
It seems like the internet is caught in an Ina Garten loop right now—her Brownie Pudding has reached true virality. After watching video after video with my sibling, we were peculiarly craving a dessert we’d never had before, so, naturally, we had to make it. Scribbling down adjustments on a sticky note, we corrected the yield to serve two. Instead of using an electric mixer to beat the egg and sugar together until pale (a step that guarantees a soufflé-like crackle), we whisked by hand, taking turns when one of us got a cramp. A little flour, cocoa powder, and butter later, and it was ready for the water bath and oven. Crisp, gooey, and molten, the recipe was absolutely worth the hype. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
A maximalist dinner party
We had some friends over for dinner and I made all sorts of dishes. Arguably too many. Crudités with romesco. Cheesy walnut gougères. Double-mushroom galette. A big salad with fresh horseradish grated on top (try this). An oversized crème brûlée. Excellent, each one! But the thing I keep thinking about is the app I added last-minute, when I became convinced there wasn’t enough food. (My husband thought I was joking. I was not.) Oeufs mayonnaise: Boil eggs (I like 10 minutes for a firmer yolk). Peel. Slice in half. Dollop with a mix of mayo and Dijon mustard. Plunk a cornichon on top. Voila! Utterly chic for a gathering, yet easy enough for a desk snack. —Emma Laperruque, director of cooking
Waffles in the new year
New year, new waffle maker! Finally equipped to make my breakfast dreams come true, I set about mixing up food director Chris Morocco’s Yeasted Waffle batter. Tangy buttermilk and instant yeast give the recipe a complex, bready taste, and an overnight rise makes for both a simpler morning and perfectly crisp waffles. My family adds nutmeg to nearly every baked good we make, so I did add a few grates of the warming spice, along with a splash of vanilla extract, to my batter. We went in a butter, syrup, and berries direction (versus Chris’s savory eggs and chili crisp suggestion) and were delighted by the lightly crunchy shell and eggy interior of each waffle. A 10/10 rating for holding pools of salty butter and juicy blueberries without immediately going soggy. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
Thai roast chicken thighs
After over four years of tasting all sorts of chicken recipes in the Test Kitchen, this one from cookbook author Diana Yen is an uncontested favorite. It’s always highly requested by my parents, so we made it as our first home cooked dinner in the new year. The chicken thighs marinate in coconut milk, lime juice, and fish sauce and roast in the same pan with cabbage—this time around, we used a mixture of baby bok choy and kale to empty out the fridge. Delicious at its core, you’ll want to spoon up every last drop of the sauce with rice. But taste aside, it’s worth making alone for the coconutty, aromatic smell that’ll perfume your entire kitchen. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
January 2
Sweet potatoes with lentils and feta
Looking at the publication date on food director Chris Morocco’s Loaded Sweet Potatoes made me realize I’ve been making this recipe regularly for seven years. If that isn’t a ringing endorsement! For such a simple list of ingredients (sweet potatoes, lentils, citrus, nuts, feta, cilantro), there is truly outstanding earthy-sweet flavor. Chris uses peanuts, but I’ve made the toasty dressing with walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, and even sunflower seeds—all are wonderful. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor
An unexpected chicken stir-fry
Quick, veggie-heavy stir-fries are on constant rotation in my house. I usually improvise one for dinner at least three times a week. But I never thought to add leftover cranberry sauce until senior Test Kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk, started developing this Sweet-and-Sour Cranberry Chicken Stir-Fry for our Thanksgiving issue. He uses the jellied variety to create a speedy, glossy glaze for green beans and chicken, along with garlic, ginger, and sesame oil to balance out all that tang with grounding savory flavor. Well, folks, it’s a winner. And it took me less than a half hour to make, like every good weeknight dinner should. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor
A feel-good winter salad
Salad Freak by Jess Damuck is one of my most used cookbooks by far. It is organized intuitively—which is to say, by season. There is burrata with peas and preserved lemon in the spring; charred corn with Halloumi cheese and chili crisp in the summer; kabocha with purple cabbage and fish sauce in the fall; and, the one I fantasize about all year, chicories with citrus and turmeric-tahini in the winter. That’s what I made last weekend, as a feel-good dinner to cap off a day spent eating raclette, raclette, and more raclette with friends. It’s bitter from the crisp leaves (I used endive in lieu of radicchio), full of juicy citrus, and amenable to whatever nuts and seeds you have around (this time, I did toasted pecans and sunflower seeds). A total delight. And one of the rare things that makes me look forward to winter. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy Obsession
Braising on a weeknight
Whenever somebody asks me what my favorite thing to cook is, my answer is always the same: anything braised. Cozy and hands-off, it’s the perfect technique to call on whenever the temperature drops below freezing. So on a frigid night this week, I made my colleague Shilpa Uskokovic’s Creamy Cider-Braised Chicken and Leeks. Chicken legs are not only a cheap cut of meat, but one that’s prime for slow cooking—after just 40 minutes in the oven, the meat becomes tender and shreddy. Cooked in a tangy-sweet apple cider sauce bolstered with crème fraîche, you’ll want crusty bread for dipping. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor
Sticky chocolate cake
Looking for a crowd-pleasing dish to make for a holiday party, I turned to deputy food editor Hana Asbrink’s Sticky Chocolate Cake, an amazingly gooey decadence that reminds me of a molten lava cake. The nutty brown butter complements rich cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, creating an impressively complex flavor. Paired with my friend’s batch of coquito, this cake made for a stunning holiday treat. —Jaia Clingham-David, research fellow
