The Best Recipe I Made This Year Was...

It may seem like here at Food52, all we do is write about, look at, and publish recipes and gorgeous pictures of food. But, surprising as it may seem, we like to cook as well. We may not have the magic fingers of our test kitchen chef, Josh, the culinary Genius of Kristen, or the creative stylings of Alexis, but we do our best. Because when we're not writing about food, the only thing we like more than eating is cooking.

I talked to the Food52 staff to see what recipes they made this year. Their answers varied from weeknight go-to's to elaborate weekend meals. Here's what they had to say (recipes included):

Sophie Corwin, Growth Marketing Coordinator

I love this recipe for so many reasons. The first being that it's delicious—the skin perfectly crisps while the meat becomes flavorful and juicy. The second is that it's incredibly easy: mix a few sauces together, smother the chicken in it, and bake! The third is that once you have these ingredients, you're set to make this again and again. It doesn't require many fresh ingredients, so I'm able to make it without much planning with whatever's in my pantry.

Jeremy Beker, Senior Software Engineer

I’ve never really been a fan of sweet potatoes but we get tons of them in our CSA. I picked this for Friendsgiving and this is the first time that I ever went back for seconds of a sweet potato recipe. The smoky/spicy flavors balanced out the sweetness so well. It may have helped that we inherited my wife’s great-grandmother’s food mill and this was the first time we have ever used one to make a mashed potato dish.

Jackson Fust, Associate Buyer

It’s become a weekly go-to for me. It’s really easy to play with so it doesn’t get boring, and it works well for weeknights and dinner parties.

Katie MacDonald, Assistant Editor

With only a handful of ingredients, this could NOT be easier; they're done so quickly and perfect for chocolate lovers (like me).

Sarah Yaffa, Data Analyst

I get disappointed when people push their butternut squash soup on me when it's bland and under-seasoned. This recipe is the antithesis of that.

Joanna Sciarrino, Managing Editor

Highly recommend.

Kaitlin Bray, Social Media Director

The best thing you can do with your Sunday is make pork shoulder ragu. It's hands-off, will make your kitchen smell incredible, and the leftovers only get better with time.

So there you have it: an office tour of everyone's favorite Food52 recipes as this year draws to a close. What will we be cooking next year? We'll have to wait and see.

What are the best things you cooked from our site this year? Let us know in the comments.