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A Decadent Menu From Alison Roman's Nothing Fancy

An unfussy but entirely impressive menu from Alison Roman's 'Nothing Fancy'
overhead shot of Alison Roman's garlicky beet dip in a blue bowl surrounded by small plates of sliced veggies

If you've never laughed out loud while reading a recipe, you haven't read a recipe by Alison Roman. The bestselling cookbook author has a dishy tone that makes her instructions read like a conversation with your favourite girlfriend after she's had a generous glug of wine. (That said, Roman's recipes always a) make sense, and b) work.) One of my favourite lines, from a recipe for chickpea stew: "Determining personal stew thickness is a personal journey!" Have truer words ever been spoken?

Roman's first cookbook, Dining In, was my most-cooked-from-book of 2019, and I have no doubt that her second, the just-released Nothing Fancy, will hold the same title in 2020. That's why I'm so excited we were able to excerpt four recipes from Nothing Fancy, which form the menu for a decadent roast beef feast. I devoured this spread when our Test Kitchen recreated it, and it was, in a word, sublime.

Recipes reprinted from Nothing Fancy. Copyright © 2019 by Alison Roman. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Garlicky Beet Dip

A "romesco-esque dip" featuring beets in lieu of roasted red peppers. Get Alison Roman's garlicky beet dip recipe.

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overhead shot of beet dip in a blue bowl surrounded by small plates of sliced veggiesPhoto, Erik Putz. Food styling, Ashley Denton. Prop styling, Catherine Doherty.

Little Gems With Garlicky Lemon Pistachio

"This is the salad of my dreams," says Roman. "Garlicky, bracingly acidic, clean and crunchy as hell." Get Alison Roman's little gems with garlicky lemon pistachio recipe.

overhead shot of Little Gems lettuce bites on a white platePhoto, Erik Putz. Food styling, Ashley Denton. Prop styling, Catherine Doherty.

Low And Slow Rib Roast With Rosemary And Anchovy

"Season it aggressively, love it passionately, and cook it perfectly," says the cookbook author about this decadent roast. Get Alison Roman's Low And Slow Rib Roast With Rosemary And Anchovy recipe.

A Decadent Menu From Alison Roman's Nothing FancyPhoto, Erik Putz. Food styling, Ashley Denton. Prop styling, Catherine Doherty.

Overnight Focaccia, Tonight

This easy focaccia bread can be made in just a few hours. Get Alison Roman's Overnight Focaccia, Tonight recipe.

overhead shot of a hand taking a square piece of focaccia bread from a green glass platter on a blue tablePhoto, Erik Putz. Food styling, Ashley Denton. Prop styling, Catherine Doherty.

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Maureen Halushak is the editor-in-chief of Chatelaine. Outside of work she's an avid runner, writer, reader and dog walker.

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