Iceberg Lettuce

There is something really good about crunchy lettuce and a bright shallot dressing filled with the flavor of dried oregano completed by creamy feta.

These pickled iceberg leaves are a good reminder that meat isn’t always required to make a sandwich substantial and well-spiced.

We KonMari'd the classic wedge, got rid of all the extraneous ingredients, and ended up with a salad that sparks joy: crunchy iceberg and a rich, tangy dressing.

This recipe is exceptionally weeknight-friendly (it goes from start to finish in less than an hour) and fully adaptable depending on the tastes of your family.

Marinated artichoke hearts, canned chickpeas, and pepperoni roast together to make a warm, crisp foundation for this wintry salad. Fresh oranges balance the salty and savory flavors.

These adobo-marinated steak wraps have a delightful garnish: Corn nuts. Their primary role here is to add salt, crunch, and sweet toasty flavors to each bite. Corn chips, Fritos, or even kettle-style potato chips would be excellent understudies.

If this brings back memories of the “house salad” from that Italian-American restaurant you grew up eating at, then we consider our jobs done.

This easy, beach-ready sandwich pairs juicy summer tomatoes with tangy giardiniera and crunchy shreds of iceberg. Bring napkins.

With the crunch of the iceberg and onions, the soft richness of the avocado, the saltiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the tomato, and the bite of the blue cheese, this salad has it all! And it is beautiful to boot.

The iceberg lettuce is sliced into rounds instead of angled wedges, exposing the entire surface to the blue cheese dressing and toppings.

Roasted poblano chiles and cream are a classic—and irresistible—combination. It's worth roasting more than you need—the peeled and seeded chiles freeze well and thaw quickly. Sliced and seared zucchini or chayote squash is a terrific addition to the rajas mixture.

In the state of Chiapas, these are made with chewy dried shrimp and called tostadas turulas. Use the most flavorful shrimp and best tomatoes you can find.

Spicy Mexican chorizo adds richness to tinga, a tomatoey shredded-chicken tostada topping.

In Mexico, salpicón is a kind of shredded meat or fish salad, usually made with beef, and commonly served on tostadas. This version gets a fresh crunch from radishes and sweet acidic kick from a combination of lime and pineapple juices.

Who doesn't love a wedge? Ask your butcher to cut slab bacon into thick slices (about 1/4") to yield nice meaty pieces once they're crisped on the grill.

Competition for the best burger in London has gone mad. Some burgers are gourmet and piled high with toppings, whereas others are thinner, simpler, wrapped in paper, steamy and sloppy. All I can say is my insanity burger is going to be right up there—the method is almost ritualistic in what it requires you to do to get close to burger perfection. I've also used the brilliant technique of brushing the burgers with mustard and a dash of Tabasco Chipotle sauce as they cook to build up an incredible gnarly layer of seasoning.

Here's a recipe for the whole family, a healthy version of chicken nuggets. Throw in a good measure of childhood nostalgia and enjoy.

Once a way to make use of stale tortillas (by toasting and/or frying them), tostadas are so good that it wasn't long before people simply started using fresh tortillas. After biting into these layers of flavor—crunchy, creamy, luscious—you'll see why.

As any deli aficionado will tell you, shredded lettuce—especially iceberg—is a glorious thing.