recipes

63 New Year's Eve Dinner Recipes to End the Year Right

Finish this year off with a bang—aka, a main dish that everyone's going to love.
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Marcus Nilsson

For New Year's Eve, eat and drink what you want. You've got the whole following year to change your ways. These are some of the crowd-pleasing favorites we want to be cooking and eating to bring in a year that's bright with possibility. From roast chicken to bone-in ham, fish chowder to lobster pasta, these dishes will send out the old and usher in the new. But first, go pour yourself one of our best New Year's Eve cocktails. And when you're done, figure out what to make for your end-of-the-year dessert.

  • Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
    3/63

    Set-It-and-Forget-It Roast Pork Shoulder

    Scoring the skin isn’t just for looks; it helps the fat render and makes the roast easy to slice.

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  • Laura Murray
    4/63

    Shrimp Scampi

    This shrimp scampi recipe gets an extra punch of garlicky flavor from a short marinade before cooking. Serve it with bread to sop up the rich pan sauce.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Anderson, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka
    5/63

    Brothy Seafood Chowder

    The homemade stock makes all the difference in this flavorful, savory, perfectly smooth chowder.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig
    6/63

    Curry Leaf Popcorn Chicken

    These hot little nuggets of chicken are seasoned to perfection and topped with fried chiles.

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  • Photo by Peden + Munk
    9/63

    Perfect Porterhouse Steak

    With a steak this thick, you need to season liberally; when chef Bobby Flay demonstrated for us, the surface of the meat was virtually white from salt.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    10/63

    Duck Confit With Spicy Pickled Raisins

    The best part of making this duck confit recipe? All the rich fat you’re left with. Use it to roast potatoes­—it’s an easy way to upgrade a classic. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away (it freezes well).

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  • Peden + Munk
    19/63

    Leeks in Vinaigrette

    Despite being a timeless classic, it’s probably been a while since you made this dish. Entertaining bonus: It gets better as it sits, which means you’ll be rewarded for making it ahead of time.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Judy Mancini
    20/63

    Clam Dip

    If what you really want is a delicious clam dip that comes together in less than 15 minutes, this recipe is for you.

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  • Alex Lau
    29/63

    Potato Blinis

    These potato blinis are inspired by a Thomas Keller recipe. They're the ideal base for caviar.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Megan Hedgpeth
    30/63

    Oxtail and Red Wine Stew

    Oxtails contain a ton of collagen, which melts into the stew to create an ultra-rich, ultra-silky texture and flavor.

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  • Christopher Testani
    33/63

    Braised Veal Shanks with Bacon-Parmesan Crumbs

    There’s marrow in those bones! Scoop out the cooked marrow and whisk it into the braising liquid, or eat it on a crust of bread with salt. You earned it.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani
    34/63

    Bejeweled Rice

    You can fold all the toppings into the rice and it’ll still be delicious—but you won’t get as much of a wow factor.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boystova
    35/63

    BA's Best Linguine and Clams

    Clams vary in brininess and the amount of liquid they’ll release during cooking, so you’ll need to adjust the salt and add pasta water accordingly. To prevent the sauce from getting too salty, we recommend a measured amount of salt for the pasta water. If possible, look for an artisanal dried pasta for this recipe—the rougher surface texture will catch the slippery sauce better.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
    36/63

    Charred Brussels Sprouts With Warm Honey Glaze

    Roasty, toasty brussels soak up this delicious honey sauce, creating a combo you just can’t beat.

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  • Romulo Yanes
    49/63

    Spinach Puffs

    Spinach and feta arrive in tiny puff-pastry packages.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    50/63

    Cast-Iron Roast Chicken With Crispy Potatoes

    Size matters. This isn't the time for a mammoth Oven Stuffer, nor do we want some petite poussin—a 3½–4-lb. bird has the proportions we're after. When the breasts are roasted to perfection, all that dark meat is on-the-nose-done too.

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  • Peden + Munk
    51/63

    “Tandoori” Carrots with Vadouvan Spice and Yogurt

    What’s vadouvan, you ask? It’s just one of our new favorite exotic spice blends, a French-Indian formula that includes onion, shallots, and garlic added to a currylike mix.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Judy Mancini
    52/63

    Fish Tacos al Pastor

    Senior editor Rick Martinez looooves tacos al pastor, but on his last trip to Mexico City, he opted for fish tacos al pastor at Contramar. He did not think he could possibly like a fish taco more than a pork one until that moment, hence the origin story of this recipe.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Megan Hedgpeth
    55/63

    Ham Hock and White Bean Stew

    The ham hock in this stew lends a rich, smoky essence that flavors the beans from the inside out.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
    56/63

    Maiale al Latte (Milk-Braised Pork)

    This traditional Italian braised pork roast may not be one of the most photogenic dishes you’ll ever make, but it sure is one of the tastiest.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    57/63

    Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

    With this brussels sprouts recipe, get straight to the good stuff: those sweet, bright green, tender-crisp leaves.

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  • Gentl & Hyers
    58/63

    Spiced Lamb Hand Pies

    If you’re not a lamb person, ground beef will also taste great.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens
    59/63

    Party-Ready Pork Roast

    Instead of using one larger bone-in pork loin roast, this recipe calls for two smaller ones. This allows for more exposed surface areas, which decreases cooking time and develops a delicious golden brown crust.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    60/63

    Jerk-Spiced Duck

    Duck has an unfair reputation for being fussy, but not this sticky-spiced, finger-licking-good version.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    61/63

    Pineapple-Glazed Ham

    We spiked the glaze for our retro-chic version of 1950s-style ham with hot sauce and apple cider vinegar to cut through the sweetness.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura
    62/63

    Chile-Butter Roast Chicken

    There will be lots of delicious pan juices in the baking dish when the chicken is done, which is a great reason to serve this with rice, mashed potatoes, or a batch of polenta.

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