Three Things

Three no-recipe recipes, another stunner for the cookie box, should you buy an air fryer?

Good morning eaters and readers! A reminder before we get to your weekly agenda, that there is nothing more soul-satisfying and as easy to assemble for a winter weekend lunch as chicken noodle soup — or just Noodle Soup if you want to omit the chicken part. (Bonus points for serving to anyone studying for a final, while sitting in front of a fire.) OK, enough wind-up, it’s a busy week, so let’s get right down to business: Your Three Things…

1. Three Fast No-Recipe Dinners

Who can be bothered with measuring and recipe reading right now? Here, shorthand versions of a few favorites that you can pull together fast:

Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts Place halved Brussels sprouts cut-side down in olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until brown and golden, about 8 minutes, flipping once. Remove from pan. Add chopped onion, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Add more oil and a packet of shelf-stable or refrigerated gnocchi (or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi) and pan-fry until crispy, about 6 minutes. Toss with sprouts and grated Parm and serve. (Inspired heavily by Ali Slagle, whose spring 2022 book looks FIRE.)

Caramelized Onion Galette Heat oven to 425°F. Caramelize four onions in olive oil in a very large skillet set over medium-low heat. (About 20 minutes.) Drizzle in balsamic vinegar and take them off the heat. Meanwhile, sprinkling 1/3 cup of grated Gruyère in the center of two store-bought pie doughs. Heap onions on top, leaving a 1 1/2-2 inch border. Sprinkle fresh thyme on top, and freshly ground black pepper. Fold the dough around onions, galette style, brush with egg wash and bake for 10 minutes. Decrease heat to 350°F without opening the oven, and bake another 15 minutes until the crust looks golden.

Baked Sausage with Apples, Potatoes and Onions Toss whole small potatoes and chopped onion with olive oil, thyme leaves, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Nestle in four links of sweet Italian sausage (pork or chicken) and bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, toss chopped apples (Granny Smith is ideal) in olive oil, then add to the baking sheet for the last five minutes of baking. Remove from the oven, drizzle with cider vinegar, and serve with dollops of Dijon mustard.

2. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

I feel like every year there is heated discussion on whether or not chocolate has a place in the holiday cookie box. (My stance: There is no place where chocolate isn’t welcome and also, who exactly is grading us on this undertaking?) Well, either way, the lovely red velvet crinkle cookie from pan-banging cookie icon Sarah Kieffer resolves our “problem” handily and deliciously. Best of all: They require no culinary acrobatics yet yield a satisfactorily festive result…

…They’re from Kieffer’s new beautiful book Baking for the Holidays, which is packed with ideas beyond the cookie box, and you can find the recipe on Dinner: A Love Story.

3. Air Fryer: Yes or No?

Gina Homalka’s air fryer cookbook landed on my doorstep last week*, which would be cool if I a) owned one or b) could decide if it was worth it to own one or not. So I did what any self-respecting instagram addict would do: I posted a poll, asking the masses to give me a Yes or No with reasons why or why not. I was hoping the answer would be clear, but out of 2237 votes, it was pretty much a 50/50 split, with 1124 in the yes camp, and 1113 giving it the kibosh. But the reasoning was helpful. Here is a summary of the pros and cons:

• CONS: It takes up too much counter/cabinet space; it’s basically a small convection oven, so if you have an oven with that setting, it’s redundant; they’re hard to clean; they can be noisy.

• PROS: Kids can use it; very simple to operate, very hard to mess things up; makes food healthier because using less oil; makes the best French fries; reheats leftovers very well; heats up quicker and more easily than an oven (faster in general)

Overall the Pros team was way more evangelical than the Cons team, which does count for something. (“People who say you don’t need one don’t have one yet,” one said.) Several mentioned looking into a counter/toaster oven with an air fryer setting (this Cuisinart model came up many times) which has more than one function and looks a little more streamlined than most. But the cons reasoning spoke to me louder: I don’t like clutter, I’m less likely to use something if it’s hard to clean, and the redundancy with my convection oven sealed the deal. So at this moment, I’m Team No. There is way more information on Wirecutter if you want to explore further, including a budget pick that looks promising.

*Publishers send me cookbooks for promotional purposes because I review them so often.

Have a great week!

Jenny