Oven Bake

In this delicately flavored main course, the asparagus steams along with the fish in individual paper packets.

This comforting soup is richly flavored but not at all heavy. Fresh ginger and red jalapeños add a nicespiciness. If you can't find red jalapeños, serrano chiles or green jalapeños would make a good substitute.

Baking the crust first keeps it from getting soggy beneath the toppings.

With golden cheese that yields to an abundance of roasted vegetables, this gratin is an ideal side dish, but it really doesn't need anything more than a green salad to make it a satisfying dinner.

Getting rid of the crust for this clever play on quiche Lorraine is a win-win: The cooking process is simplified, and you're left with the very best part of the quiche.

In this decadent side, rosemary-Roquefort mashed potatoes are scooped back into the potato skins, topped with Gruyère cheese, and baked. Serve with steak or chicken, or make a meal of one all on its own.

Baking the potatoes and carrots before mashing them gives this side a rich, complex flavor. pieces

Capers, a common ingredient in traditional Sicilian cooking, give this gratin a tangy, briny flavor. Serve alongside whole roasted fish, roast pork, or sautéed chicken breasts.

Frequent basting makes these chicken wings shine!

This barbecue sauce is delicious and can be made ahead and frozen. To save time, you also can use your favorite prepared barbecue sauce; if it's too thick, add a little cider vinegar.

There's no question: If meatloaf, then potatoes. These have all the comfort of mashed, but with a nice texture from the potato slices and from being baked in cream. And they can go in the oven along with the meatloaf, so dinner will be ready all at once.

This is the perfect antidote to the Sunday blues, not least because there will be enough left over to pack sandwiches for Monday's lunch. A mix of beef, pork, and bacon ensures meatiness, with Worcestershire sauce, chopped prunes, and cider vinegar added for good balance and occasional suggestions of sweetness. Because the loaf is baked without a loaf pan, there's plenty of well-browned crust to go around.

This country-style quiche has a crunchy crust, thanks to the whole grain cornmeal.

Egg white binds the sugar and spices to the nuts.

Potatoes aren't a backbone starch in the South, but they're one vegetable, notes Miss Lewis, that is good in all seasons.

You'll return again and again to this recipe since it can be assembled in advance and delivers serious flavor. The scent of ham gently permeates the eggs, whose yolks can be broken into the rest of the dish.

The duck needs to marinate overnight, so be sure to begin at least one day ahead.

Oven-roasting whole fish marries ease of preparation with stunning presentation.

Going beyond the customary side dishes for beef (mushrooms and a gratin), we've combined all the luxurious flavor of wild mushrooms sautéed in cream with good buttered toast for these single-serving puddings, giving every guest a perfect mix of crisp, golden surface and warm, melting interior.