Cast Iron Skillet

I've worked on my fried chicken for many years, researching every recipe that I could lay my hands on, from early antebellum instructions to the Kentucky Colonel's secret technique. This recipe uses five fats, and each one contributes to the flavor of the result. To do the chicken right, you need an old black cast-iron skillet with a lid. Sure, you can make it in a deep fryer (like we do at the restaurant), but I prefer the old-fashioned way, which is nearly impossible to pull off in a restaurant. The skillets take up so much stove space that you can't make more than ten orders at a time. So this isn't the fried chicken you're going to eat at Husk. This is the way grandmas cook fried chicken in the South, and it's the way everyone should be making fried chicken at home. This recipe takes a lot of time and attention, way more than most conventional approaches (the chicken must be brined for 12 hours, so plan ahead). But it's good. Be sure to ask your butcher for the chicken skins to render for fat and to save the cooking fat, which makes mighty fine gravy. I've thrown that recipe in here too, to complete the meal just like my grandma would have.

If you can't find sweet, savory dried Chinese sausage, use an equal weight of maple-cured bacon instead.

Baked in cast-iron skillets, these loaves are dense, soft, and subtly sweet.

These knobby-looking tubers (a.k.a. sunchokes) are sweet and nutty when browned. Balsamic vinegar smacks some sass into them.

You'll love this spiced alternaburger with its fresh finishes; kids will love the handheld dinner.

Achieve the deep, comforting flavors of slow-cooked pho in an hour with a few clever shortcuts.

Splurge on lamb rib chops or save on loin chops; either way you will enjoy this Moroccan-inspired meal. The familiar flavors of an everything bagel make a surprise appearance here to spice a zesty yogurt dip. Harissa paste (available in specialty food stores and many grocery stores) adds a fiery punch to chickpeas simmered with carrots and tomatoes. It can vary greatly in spiciness and saltiness from brand to brand, so add a little at first and taste as you go.

Zucchini may not be the most loved vegetable, but when shallow-fried into patties, even kids will go crazy for them.

This hefty frittata is cooked entirely on the grill—from the vegetables to the eggs themselves. While it's ok to cook the frittata over direct heat, you want to make sure the grill isn't so hot that the bottom burns before the center is set. Ideally, you should grill the frittata over moderate heat--when you can hold your hand 4 to 5 inches from the grill for 4 to 5 seconds.

Purslane has long been considered a weed, but it is increasingly showing up for sale in bunches at farmers markets. Meanwhile, Mexicans have known about its healthful properties for hundreds of years and they eat it both raw and cooked. In Mexico it's called verdolagas. Cooking mellows its tang and shrinks it, which means you can eat more of it! Paired with avocado and a tomato relish, this is a super-healthy vegetarian snack or main dish.

If you decide to make this out in the wild, pack the perishables in a cooler.

Serving Size: 8

Affordable leg of lamb is a great way to break out of the usual beef-chicken-pork rut, especially when used in a quick-cooking but complex-tasting dish like this.

Here's how to time this: Have the salad and onion ring components ready before you cook the steak and the sauce, then keep the sauce warm while you fry the onions. Toss the salad at the last moment.

Cutting the vegetables into similarly sized pieces helps them cook at the same rate, so this entire dish—sauce included—can be made in one pan.

Adding onion delivers moisture; forming thicker patties prevents them from cooking too fast and drying out. Both steps are key when working with grass-fed ground beef.

Get the pan smoking hot so the fish won't stick. Let it get a good sear on the first side, which will also help it release.