FARGO — I hope you are enjoying a merry and festive holiday. As we reach the end of another year, it is time to announce my top three recipes of 2024. I am grateful for all the delicious and beautiful food I have been blessed to make throughout the year, as Tony and I adapt to life as empty nesters.
To be honest, it has been a smoother transition than either of us expected. We have found our rhythm, so to speak, and it has been marvelous to discover that we still really like each other.
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This year’s top recipe was created out of inspiration from my muse, Tony, who plants the seeds of ideas in my mind and then serves as my faithful taster when those ideas become new recipes. A simple suggestion like, “How about doing something with chicken and potatoes?” led to this year’s Recipe of the Year winner. I have rounded out the list with my top salad and dessert recipes, and these three recipes together would make a fabulous dinner menu.
Without further ado, I am pleased to present Sarah’s Top Three Recipes from 2024. I hope they fill your kitchen with comfort and joy. Merry Christmas and best wishes for a peaceful, prosperous and delicious New Year.
If you would like a printable copy of these recipes, you can visit my website at sarahnasello.com , check out the individual recipe articles or send me a request via email to sarahnasello@gmail.com .
1. Recipe of the Year: Sheet Pan Dinner with Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potato Gratin
Simple, savory and succulent, this Sheet Pan Dinner with Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potato Gratin is my top recipe of the year.
The response it received from my family, friends, readers and fellow grocery shoppers made this an easy determination this year. I cannot even count the times Tony has come home from the gym or grocery store with a story about another person who made, and loved, this recipe. I have had the same experience, and it is no surprise — this easy-to-make recipe is just that delicious.
The chicken thighs roast on a sheet pan atop a bed of thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes and fresh fennel until their skin is good and crispy, and then the potatoes and fennel return to the oven with a sprinkling of white cheddar cheese to broil until the cheese is melted. Some recipes have their season, but this is one that I plan to enjoy for the rest of my life.
2. Salad of the Year: Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette
I have made this salad several times since its debut in this column last September and it never disappoints. This salad has a terrific blend of flavors and textures — crisp strips of Romaine lettuce, tart apples, crunchy pecans, sweet and chewy dried cherries, creamy white cheddar cheese and smoky bacon … I love everything about this salad.
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And just when you thought it could not get any better, everything is tossed in an addictively tangy maple cider vinaigrette. As I said back in September, this is one of the best salads I have ever made, and even though I call it my Autumn Chopped Salad, I plan to enjoy it all year long.
3. Dessert of the Year: Luscious Lemon Tart
With its lively punch of tangy lemon flavor and wonderfully crisp shortbread crust, this bright and sunny Luscious Lemon Tart is my Dessert of the Year.
When I staged the photo shoot for this Luscious Lemon Tart, my hope was to create an image that would make the dessert look as good as it tastes. I always ask myself, “Would I want to make this recipe if I saw it in a newspaper or magazine?” The answer is not always yes — sometimes my lighting doesn’t cooperate, or the featured specialty isn’t naturally colorful, and then I have to employ a little strategy to honor the food in front of me.
Thankfully, this Luscious Lemon Tart is so naturally beautiful that it almost felt like I was cheating. And it tastes even better than it looks.
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