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I’m not the kind of food writer who refuses to eat at upscale chains or cookie-cutter “Irish” pubs where the entire menu tastes like it fell off the back of the freezer truck. Those venues are never my first (or fifth) choice, but I don’t always get to choose where my friends and family meet up. Plus, no matter where I go, I can usually find a way to make an underwhelming entreé or under-seasoned side at least a little better. I’m generally pretty proud of myself too—or I was until I read the first page of Molly Baz’s new cookbook, More Is More, and realized I still have a lot to learn.
While More Is More isn’t a field guide for jazzing up bland restaurant food (the subtitle is “Get Loose in the Kitchen”), Baz introduces us to the ethos of her latest recipes by recounting a morning spent at a sports bar with her husband. After she perused the menu with a Very Important Game on in the background, she decided the calamari was her best bet. But rather than suffer through its as-is condition, she scanned the dining room for some appropriate accouterments. With a pepper grinder, lemon wedges, hot sauce, a ramekin of mayo, and the sea salt tin she carries in her purse, the resourceful former Bon Appétit editor McGuyvered her sad squid into something she was truly excited to eat.
In her second cookbook Baz brings that same can-do approach to home cooking through 100 recipes that toe the line of “too much.” When in doubt, she wants you to add more flavor, more texture, and definitely more garlic (she is “sick and tired of recipes that call for one garlic clove”). Beyond alliums, Baz writes that the book is really about “refusing to settle for something mediocre and instead figuring out how to transform that mediocrity into something stupendous.”
If this all sounds like fun, it is. Baz’s voicey headnotes and maximalist recipes are brought to life through colorful type and high-contrast lifestyle photography that feels like a dinner party you’d be really bummed to miss.
Who this book is for
Are you an adventurous eater who’s tired of the same-old, same-old in the kitchen? Then this book is for you—yes, even if you already consider yourself a talented chef. More Is More will inspire you to branch out from your regular weeknight roast chicken with dishes like miso-braised chicken with leeks and chile-basted half chicken with caper chimichurri. Baz even guides you through putting together a complete meal by offering multiple suggestions for complementary sides that also appear in the book (think: dilly beans and burrata with frizzled shallots, crispy potato skins with fried herb aioli, and spicy coconut-smothered green beans).
Of course, Baz can get away with breaking the rules because she knows them so well, but like garlic cloves, the author promises that no home cook will be left behind. Recipes that require advanced techniques feature QR codes you can scan for audio and video tutorials from Baz (who also happens to be a YouTube star), so even beginners will benefit from cooking their way through More Is More.
What we can’t wait to cook
This Only Meatloaf That Matters is exciting from the get-go. Instead of ground beef, Baz uses Italian sausage. Then she skips the ketchup altogether, adds two kinds of cheese, and pan-fries each slice before serving.
Baz suggests serving these crispy, herby potato skins with the meatloaf. But we’re not talking about a sad little sprinkling of chives—these skins get topped with a medley of fried herbs, plus capers, garlic, and cornichons.
Spicy and super satisfying, this quick-and-easy orrechiette works as a side or a one-dish dinner. Just beware that it might turn you into the kind of person who crisps up all your pasta before putting it on the plate.
