Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman

This salad is a perfect example of something I probably never would have made on my own. I’m not inclined to make much beyond mirepoix with celery, but thanks to the “Eat with” suggestion for the sticky chicken with hot and sour pineapple (next slide), I went ahead and tried it. We loved it and it absolutely was the perfect thing to serve alongside the chicken. This entire meal will be a repeat favorite for sure.

This chicken was one of the first things to really catch my eye when I flipped through the cookbook. For as much as I make chicken, how many ways really seem like a hot take? Well, this one is. Just looking at this photo is making me want to be eating it again, right now!

Caroline couldn’t wait to try making this cake and we had a ton of fun baking it together. It was quick and easy to throw together, and we LOVED the end result.

Highly recommend this cake as the perfect ending to just about any meal. The sour cream topping is so freaking good, which is no surprise given my deep love for the stuff. Pair with a good glass of bubbly rosé or an excellent cocktail.

This chicken is the cover recipe and I’m sad to say was one of my least favorite of everything we tried. It was fine, not bad, but just not…quite at the level of the rest. The entire premise of the book is low maintenance recipes and in the intro for this one, Ms. Roman talks about how all those methods everyone touts as making the perfect roast chicken (rubs, brines, etc.) are unnecessary. Having made plenty myself, I just don’t think this stands up to chicken that has been brined or at least soaked in buttermilk a la Samin Nosrat. I did love the tomatoes on the side and would gladly repeat the overall concept, just with more attention paid to the chicken first.

I am a harsh critic of potatoes due to the fact that a large majority of potatoes made on the day-to-day are lackluster. Most are under salted, under seasoned, and often the texture is not optimal. When I said, “These potatoes are SO good!” my partner was stunned. Did Annie really just say that about a potato recipe? Yes, it really happened, and yes, I’ll totally make these again.

I think I need to try this recipe again. The author indicates that this should be cooked so that it is medium-rare. I first cooked the amount of time indicated by the recipe but it was very raw, so I continued cooking a bit longer. I think I achieved the medium-rare finish, but I also think that just isn’t my thing. I didn’t feel well after eating it and again when I (tried to) eat the leftovers. However, my BFF Josie also made it and she liked it and didn’t have any issues, so I wonder if my salmon pieces were just too thick and really needed a significantly longer cooking time. The overall flavor profile is great so I just need to give this another go.

This delicious crunchy salad is flipping irresistible. Turmeric has been on the rise as a favorite spice in my kitchen, and this dish highlights it beautifully. It is a lovely recipe and I’m sure we will make it often.

I have loved stuffed shells since childhood and they always remind me of my mom because she loved them too. This version was pretty good, if a bit on the bland side. I think it could have used a bit more garlic and spice, but the concept was good overall. Josie also made these and said her filling was incredibly runny. I used homemade ricotta and drained it quite a bit so I think that helped with mine. Keep this in mind if you use store-bought ricotta which tends to be wetter – maybe start with half the amount of cream, and add more as needed.

This is such a good and simple way to serve green veggies on the side of any meal. I would just recommend roughly chopping after roasting and before serving to make it easier to enjoy.

The moment I saw this cream cheese tart with a Ritz cracker crust and coarse salt on top, I knew I had to try it. I absolutely love this and think it is such a unique way to end a meal. As a result of the cracker crust and the salt on top, it is almost a savory dessert. It is very rich and I would recommend a small sliver (about half the serving pictured here.)

I certainly couldn’t resist anything including “pasta” and “chorizo” in the title, and this didn’t disappoint. The broccoli rabe adds a nice bite and the chorizo bread crumbs are genius.

Oh man, do I love this salad. Josie and I made this when we were together and I have made it multiple times since. It’s very much the 90’s pizza parlor vibe, but so much better. In my opinion, it’s the perfect thing to serve with pizza and will be a go to from here on out.

This is a Persian-ish version of crispy rice and it’s pretty good. I still prefer Samin’s version (no surprise there) but glad I tried this.

After the aforementioned semi-raw salmon debacle, I was a little nervous about this. Thankfully I cooked it to my liking and this dish was simple and delicious. Salmon is my favorite protein and I’m always looking for more ways to enjoy it. I’ll definitely make this again.

I love when books include recipes that aren’t really recipes but methods, because they help you grow as a home cook. We don’t use nearly enough fresh herbs in American cooking in general, but this book and this salad in particular help set that right. With 50/50 fresh herbs to salad greens and very simple dressing, this can be made in many ways to suit whatever flavor profile works best with your meal. Love it.

Sometimes I like to make a series of snacks for dinner rather than a full meal. This book contains plenty of inspiration for delicious but low maintenance snacks and I was all about it. One Friday night we decided to have a date night in, and I made a few snack recipes from Nothing Fancy as well as a dessert. Click through to see more about each recipe individually.

This dip contains so many of my favorite things and I.am.here.for.it. While the oil didn’t turn anything approaching the “fiery orange” called for in the instructions, I don’t care. This stuff is simply delicious and I would gladly eat it every day.

This recipe wins the award for “dish I have daydreamed about repeatedly” (side effects may include drooling.) We had an amazing dish in New York last fall involving buttered toast and anchovies, and this was quite reminiscent of that creation. Both are amazing and I’m so glad I have this lovely trick up my sleeve for when I want to wow friends or just really treat myself.

Over the past year or so, I have come to adore olives. This is a welcome development since I really disliked them for so much of my life. These citrus marinated olives are a fun way to mix it up. The flavor the citrus imbues is a bit on the subtle side, but worth trying.

For the longest time, I thought I didn’t like panna cotta because I was mistakenly equating it with flan, which I still do not care for. Anyway, last year I had panna cotta while traveling and realized it is actually incredibly delicious. I’ve been wanting to make my own ever since so this recipe which also included the words “salted honey” clearly grabbed my attention. This is a such a lovely dessert and I can’t wait to make it again. Mmmm.

This salad is simple and the flavors aren’t an unusual combination, but something about the execution is brilliant. Also, thank you Alison Roman for helping me realize how under used sesame seeds are in my kitchen.

We wanted a couple of bright and crunchy sides to go along with a braised chicken dish (next slide) and this spicy cabbage was an easy option. We really loved it and I do think this along with the sesame cucumbers was an ideal accompaniment.

I mean, just wow. I kind of wish I had an audio recording of our reactions to this dish because even though I guessed that I would love it, it well surpassed my expectations. I cannot wait to make this again.

These were one of the first recipes I tried from Nothing Fancy, back in December when I was visiting Josie. We made these along with the tiny pasta with pecorino and black pepper (next slide) and the iceberg + crushed olive salad. Such a fantastic meal! The meatballs didn’t hold together too well the first time around but this time they were much better. As I recall, we couldn’t find ground pork and may have used beef so I think that might have been the problem. In any case, this meal is fabulous and will be a family favorite for a long time.

Just looking at this picture makes me so hungry. Think a side dish version of cacio e pepe, but with Pecorino instead of parm, and adorable tiny pasta. Or a really elegant mac and cheese. Whatever way you want to conceive of it, just try it. So so good.