Our Favorite Recipes of 2017

Curious to try making Indian food at home? This crowd-pleasing recipe is great for beginners because it's easy and all the ingredients are available at ordinary supermarkets. It comes from the marvelous cookbook Made in India (Flatiron, $35). If you like, serve the chicken with Mint and Yogurt Chutney (recipe link below).

Oven-Roasted Chicken Tikka

Mint and Yogurt Chutney 

This main-dish salad is just what the doctor ordered after the holidays, bursting with color and fresh flavor. The recipe comes from The Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95). (Note: You'll end up with extra dressing, but that's just fine ... stash it in the fridge to wake up any salad.)

Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad

Egg bread, extra egg yolks and half-and-half take a trusty diner classic to new levels of splurge. (Trust us, you won’t regret going along for the ride.) Both the French toast and berries need to rest overnight, so this is an ideal make-ahead brunch dish. The recipe comes from The Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95).

Honey French Toast with Macerated Berries

Many cookies call for just citrus zest, but these soft gems use a lot of juice, too, so they’ve got the same tart kick as lemon bars. They’re a perfect match for hot tea. The recipe comes from The Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95).

Lemon Hazelnut Sea Salt Cookies

Our naturally gluten-free cake swaps ground almonds for all the flour and wears a rosy blanket of tart rhubarb and chopped nuts.

Flourless Rhubarb-Almond Upside-Down Cake

Crystallized ginger and powdered dry ginger add welcome zing to an American classic. Fanning the pineapple like flower petals is striking, but also functional--no bare spots between rings.

Double-Ginger Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Fresh ginger and red pepper flakes add welcome zing, but the real surprise here is napa (aka Chinese) cabbage. Cara Mangini, of Little Eater in Columbus, Ohio, likes it for slaws because it's more tender than ordinary cabbage but still holds up better than lettuce. 

Sweet and Spicy Cabbage and Peanut Slaw 

We won't mince words: This is juicy, spicy, sticky, glorious barbecued chicken. One of the secrets? Chicken thighs. They cook fast, like breasts, but they have richer flavor and don't dry out. And nutritionally speaking, the two are more similar than you'd think.

Chipotle-Maple Chicken Thighs 

With its subtle mix of warm spices, vanilla, maple and citrus (and tangy white icing), this is no ordinary zucchini cake. The recipe comes from The Vegetable Butcher cookbook, by Cara Mangini.

Zucchini Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Drizzle 

Dried herbs, garlic and fennel give this rustic tart a familiar Italian sausage-like flavor. The olive oil-based pastry comes together in a snap in the food processor. The recipe comes from The Vegetable Butcher cookbook, by Cara Mangini.

Swiss Chard Crostata with Fennel Seed Crust 

You can taste the banana in these rich and chocolatey pops, but the fruit is really there to give the treat a fabulously fudgy texture.

Choco-Banana Pops 

Inspired by the Tex-Mex dish called migas, this ridiculously easy breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner) dish can be on the table in less than 15 minutes.

Tex-Mex Scramble with Tortilla Chips 

Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota, makes this buttery, dill-flecked chowder with lake trout, a mild-flavored and relatively oily fish. The recipe tastes just as good with salmon or whitefish.

Lake Chowder 

Can you hear the waves? Our recipe is virgin, so little ones can get in on the frozen tropical fun, too. 

Pina Colada Pops 

This lamb burger explodes with flavor: aromatic herbs, tangy lemon mayo, sweet grilled onion. We love lamb’s earthy flavor, but if you aren’t sure your family or friends will agree, use a 50-50 blend of beef and lamb. Or seek out American-raised lamb, which is more mild than meat imported from New Zealand.

Rosemary Lamb Burgers 

Even our kid tester loved the zingy combination of spinach, pineapple and fresh ginger in these healthy frozen pops.

Green Ginger Pops 

Braising sounds slow, but it can be weeknight-fast. After a skillet sear, pork rib chops and apples simmer in cider for 10 minutes. A swirl of cream and Dijon makes a luscious pan gravy at the end.

Flash-Braised Pork Chops with Apples and Cream 

Our version of the Indian restaurant staple has an easy spiced yogurt marinade and roasts in a hot oven with wedges of onion. Serve with basmati rice and mango chutney.

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks and Roasty Red Onions 

Roasting broccoli is a wonderful change from steaming or stir-frying, bringing out a sweetness and complexity you might not have known was there. A simple finish of bright lemon and salty cheese adds a burst of freshness and flavor.

Roasted Broccoli with Pecorino and Lemon 

Laced with garlic and rosemary and topped with pecans and goat cheese, this easy casserole gives a savory wink to the traditional sweet-on-sweet Turkey Day staple.

Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese "Mallows"

Imagine a Waldorf salad, but lighter and more refreshing, with a tangy lemon-thyme vinaigrette. This salad would go beautifully with roast pork or turkey.

Celery and Apple Salad with Walnuts 

This rich mash is more than just a vehicle for gravy. It’s a subtly sweet blend of parsnip, celery root and two kinds of potato, plus plenty of butter, sour cream and nutmeg.

Hidden Roots Mashed Potatoes

Is our all-natural, totally homemade version of the iconic Thanksgiving side more work than the one made with canned stuff? Well, yes. But wow, is it good.

Can-Don't Green Bean Casserole 

Featuring whatever’s in season, this gorgeous platter is Chowgirls Killer Catering's most popular menu item, an unexpected and delicious alternative to raw veggie trays. The recipe comes from the Minneapolis company's cookbook, Chowgirls Killer Party Food.

Roasted Fall Vegetables with Saffron Aioli

Des Moines chef George Formaro says no food hugs you like potato gnocchi. The good news is, his recipe for the Italian classic is super easy--and so are his ideas for how to sauce them.

Gnocchi