Reader Favorite Roasts

The Good News Loin, one of the leanest cuts of pork, is also one of Jan Birnbaum's favorite roasts. Here it's flavored by a tangy sauce made with ginger and figs, which are high in fiber and antioxidants.

The inspiration for this delicious roast comes from chef John Besh's father-in-law, Pat Berrigan, who serves it every Christmas with horseradish sauce on the side. Besh opts to smear the roast with a horseradish, garlic and herb butter, which bakes to form an irresistible crust.

Good News Pam Anderson likes to serve sliced tenderloin—a very lean cut of pork—with a tangy raisin-and-ginger-flavored sauce that tastes much more decadent than it actually is, thanks to a secret ingredient: cornstarch, which gives the sauce body while avoiding added fat.

This roast chicken is foolproof and fantastic. Plus, it's versatile enough for a weeknight dinner or weekend dinner party.

To keep this prime rib extra juicy, "ask your butcher to leave the fat cap on before tying the beef," says Melissa Perello, an F&W Best New Chef 2004 and executive chef at San Francisco's Fifth Floor. Roasting the prime rib in a bath of butter, a common chef's trick that Perello uses here, also helps.

Roasting the chicken with the skin on (removing it after cooking) keeps the meat especially moist.

When making this dish in Marche, Italy, Fabio Trabocchi's father used pork from neighboring farmers, which he marinated using oranges from Sicily, wild fennel from the surrounding fields and herbs from a container garden on the family's back porch.

For dinner parties, Jing Tio makes a supremely juicy roasted chicken adapted from a recipe by chef Mohammad Islam of Hollywood's famed Chateau Marmont. Tio often carves this luscious bird at the table with a Japanese Nenox Corian "Sujihiki" chef's knife; he loves its weight and the shape of its Corian handle.

Panzanella, the Italian salad, is typically made with tomatoes, onions and chunks of bread. In her smart version, Koren Grieveson combines grilled bread and sweet broiled tomatoes with marinated baby artichokes before dressing the warm salad with a lemony vinaigrette. It's fabulous served alongside crisp chicken.

For this delicious, mustardy chicken, Jacques Pépin splits the chicken and cuts between the leg and shoulder joints to halve the cooking time.

For this one-pan dish, Grace Parisi roasts chicken legs on a bed of potatoes and kale so the meaty juices keep the vegetables moist.