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There's no need to cook beets when they're very thinly sliced. Renee Erickson and Marie Rutherford of Seattle restaurant the Whale Wins mellow them out with a dollop of creme fraiche.

...so you might not have an open fire, but that doesn't mean you can't have roasted chestnuts! Follow this recipe, and you won't go wrong.

Greek yogurt gets transformed into a bright fresh cheese in this Middle Eastern-style dish. Spread it onto toast with jam for breakfast, or serve as part of a cheese platter.

A malfatto (Italian for "badly made") is a tender dumpling with rustic character. (Think gnocchi, but bigger.)

The fried olives used to garnish this colorful salad just might become your new favorite. Try scattered over crostini or salads.

Russets are ideal for this latke recipe. Their high starch content means you won't need flour to bind the pancakes.

These one-ingredient lacy cheese crackers are more impressive than any cheese board.

Chef Viet Pham at Forage in Salt Lake City says: “For maximum flavor, I like to toast the nuts until they’re almost burnt.”

Can’t find Treviso, the long, thin variety of radicchio? Substitute endive or any other member of the bitter chicory family to play off the sweet citrus dressing.

Saganaki, a traditional Greek preparation named after the pan in which it’s prepared, is best served straight from the skillet, with plenty of toasted bread for scooping up the savory tomato sauce. If you can find them, wild American shrimp and high-quality Greek feta really make this dish special.

Slather this versatile spread on grilled kebabs, smear it on a sandwich, or serve it as a dip with pita and crudités.

Channel New England with this rich and warming one-pot clam chowder. If fresh clams are unavailable (or you're running short on time), substitute two 10-ounce cans of baby clams and 6 cups of bottled clam juice. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Spinach and feta arrive in tiny puff-pastry packages.