[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Managing Editor of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab... More

Tender, softly-onion leeks are roasted with the autumnal flavors of thyme and Parmesan for a soft, earthy, nutty, awesome side dish. More

Baked potatoes filled with a gooey cheddar-leek topping. More

Just because the title of Yvette van Boven's cookbook is Home Made, it doesn't necessarily mean that everything has to be made from scratch. Her lovely Long Leek Pie uses store-bought puff pastry because, really, in some cases store-bought is just fine. This pie comes from the "On the Side" chapter, which is full of simple sides to accompany her DIY mains. More

One of the great things about spring is that it provides you with a plethora of vegetables that need only brief cooking stints to become delicious. This makes them the perfect companion for a roast chicken dinner. Simply roast your chicken, have your vegetable prepped, then cook them while the chicken rests. All of your food comes out piping hot at the exact same time. More

The dish is simple: Sliced leeks are sautéed down in a little bit of butter until they're soft and sweet. Then I add cream and a dash of Parmesan (my addition to tradition). The cream binds the leeks together and has that same savory-sweetness of the leeks themselves, while the Parmesan adds a punch of salt to wake it all up. More

This stew has many of the same ingredients of a bouillabaisse, but comes together with a few simple steps. Adding the fish in two stages allows the first addition to break down and fortify the tomato broth, and the second to add some meaty substance to the final product. This stew is great with a simple loaf of Italian bread, but would go very well with some thick pasta (like pappardelle) and a big green salad. More

Taking a cue from Cornish pasties (know in West Cornish dialect as tiddy oggy (!), these are little moon-shaped handheld pastries filled with savory ingredients. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall offers up three filling variations in River Cottage Every Day—leftover stew, lentil and squash, and chicken and leek. More

I rarely cook anything that doesn't include onion and garlic, especially simple soups. But with leeks in the picture, you don't need much else. This soup is easy and cheap (always good). It also celebrates my favorite springtime vegetable, with just a hint of lemon and dill to make the whole pot sing. More

It's stew season, or at least that's what my thermometer has been telling me. Unfortunately, most stews take longer to make than an hour to make, meaning they don't often work for a frantic weeknight meal. But this one is just close enough that it's worth giving it a noble try. If you're quick and efficient this wonderful lamb stew from the New York Times can be whipped up in one hour, but it will taste like it's been bubbling away for far longer than that. More