Three Things

Sheet-pan dinners for busy weeks, holiday party tricks, how to gift a book (and win a free one)

Dec 10, 2024

Greetings eaters and readers! Hope you had a nice weekend. We were up in Vermont for a quick trip, staying at The Tillerman, and every time I spend time there, I return home with two dozen photos capturing all the little details that make the inn feel so warm and welcoming. This above was the latest, a display of candy garlands draped across the restaurant’s stone fireplace, and engineered by my friend Kate Baron, owner and visionary behind the Tillerman. I love how the whole thing screams holiday cheer without any red-and-green combos in sight. (FYI: Here is the vintage gingerbread candy garland and here is the bauble-and-tinsel strand.) Back in New York, the holidays have been in full swing, which means I’ve been out and about way more than my homebody self is used to, at plays and concerts and parties at restaurants. In this Friday’s bonus newsletter, I’ll be sending out more details on the where and what of all that, plus I’ll include my long-promised pros-and-cons list of moving back to the city after raising kids in the suburbs. It might surprise you! If you don’t want to miss the dispatch, you can become a paying subscriber right here:

Thanks for the support and here are your Three Things…

1. Holiday Party Tricks

I have the most talented friends. This is something I am aware of all the time, but it really sinks in this time of year when I’m lucky enough to get invited to their homes for holiday-related festivities. Even luckier, they give me permission to steal all their ideas for this newsletter. Let’s start with Party Trick 1: the Jambon Beurre Spread (above) that my friend Odette set up at her holiday cocktail party last week. The baguettes on the left were pre-buttered and next to them were two giant sliced hams on the stovetop, alongside a bevy of mustards and pickled things, so guests could assemble their own sandwiches. How great is that? Beside the hams were a pile of pizza boxes containing Sullivan Street Bakery’s iconic potato-onion pies — party-perfect for being something vegetarian that can also be served at room temp. (If you don’t live in New York, fear not! You can still make the Dinner: A Love Story ersatz-but-still-excellent version.)

Party Trick 2: The Layout There’s so much to love about this tablescape, assembled by friend and host extraordinaire Sonya. (You might remember her for, among other things, that epic 2022 crab feast?) To begin with, the food itself is ridiculous — pork belly toasts, baby turkey meatballs with cranberry sauce, classic shrimp cocktail, a Cezanne-worthy cheeseboard (even small cheeseboards feel bountiful when they are that packed and colorful), a Carolina Gelen vegetarian artichoke tart. But to me, the real learning here is the way everything is arranged: Look at how she uses serving dishes that vary in size, shape, height, and material — the whole spread looks festive without being fussy and, more to the point, makes the food look glorious. Lastly, I keep coming back to the center of the table and how she grouped together a healthy cluster of simple white candles in different brass holders. It’s the varying height that makes the arrangement so chic — well, that and those two strategically placed clementines. Chef’s kiss, Sonya!.

Trick 3: The Latke Board I have my own tried-and-true latke recipe, but like all latke recipes, they can be pretty laborious to make one at a time, especially when feeding a large group. Enter Adeena Sussman’s Sheet Pan Latkes — the recipe calls for heating the oil in a sheet pan in the oven first (essentially turning it into a frying pan) and using a pizza wheel to slice the potatoes for guests. Cool, right? Even if that sounds like too much, and you end up making latkes the old-fashioned way, please do take note of Adeena’s creative toppings: pear-gorgonzola, persimmons, apple butter, horseradish-sour cream. So gorgeous! (And full disclosure: I have never met Adeena Sussman in real life, but I feel like I have because I’m such a fan.) Head here for more details and instructions.

Thanks friends! What would I do without you?

2. Easy Dinner of the Week: Salmon & Brussels Sprouts with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

I didn’t snap a pic of the finished recipe for you when I made this last week, but you'll have to trust me that it’s a good one, especially this time of year — healthy and low-lift during a month when you need to pace yourself in the kitchen. Like all my favorite sheet pan recipes, you can make the sauce (more like a salad dressing) while the salmon and sprouts are in the oven. A phenomenon also known as delicious efficiency.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Brussels Sprouts with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Feel free to flesh this out with sushi or basmati rice.

4 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons oil (olive oil or neutral)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds salmon fillet, cut into 4-ounce pieces
Ginger-Scallion Sauce (below)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with the oil and a little bit of salt and pepper, then roast them on a foil-lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes, tossing half way through. Increase heat to 450°F, nestle the salmon filets among the sprouts and roast another 10 minutes until salmon is medium-rare.

While the salmon and vegetables roast, make your ginger-scallion sauce, below. Divide the salmon and brussels sprouts on four plates (or bowls if serving with rice) and drizzle with ginger-scallion sauce.

Ginger-Scallion Sauce (adapted from Momofuku)

Combine the following in a small bowl: 1 large bunch scallions (green and white parts), chopped; 1 tablespoon finely minced peeled fresh ginger; 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; a drop or two of fish sauce (optional); 2 tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar; a little chopped mint and a squeeze of Sriracha.

💥 Other sheet pan recipes for your consideration 💥

Yasmin Fahr’s Sausage Meatballs with Halloumi & Tomatoes and Crispy Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, page 102 The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple.

3. How to Gift a Book (+ a chance to win one)

How everyone’s holiday shopping coming along? Over on Cup of Jo yesterday, the genius Jodi Levine wrote about a favorite gift strategy: She buys a book, say, The Weekday Vegetarians 💅, then bundles it with relevant ingredients and goodies like a nice dish towel, a packet of heirloom beans, and a fancy pasta. Now I can’t stop thinking about how to do this with other books I’ve loved this year — not just cookbooks but novels and story collections: Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties with a set of bath bombs? Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy with stand-up tickets? Daniel Mason’s North Woods with apple butter and a wildcat print scarf? Demon Copperhead with a set of Prismacolor markers and a donation to the Ocean Conservancy. The 20th Anniversary Edition of Cloud Atlas (that cover, though) with a fountain pen, a journal, Belgian chocolates, and a soap that smells like the sea? Book lovers: What novel and goodies would you bundle together? To make this interesting, my favorite combo wins a copy of any of the books mentioned above…or either volume of The Weekday Vegetarians. (Contest ends Friday, 12/13.) Comment here and good luck!