Chef Marc Murphy on the dishes his family loves to enjoy together

The most important tradition at any time of the year is just getting together and enjoying the company of your loved ones. Of course, eating is always a big part of that.

For me, family food traditions are the dishes that everyone asks for again and again. At my house, the classic dinner is always roast chicken, with leeks vinaigrette, and roasted potatoes with rosemary, thyme and garlic, because those are my kids’ favorites when they want a home-cooked meal.

In the summer, it’s tomato salad time. I dice up shallots and anchovies, sweat them very slowly and lightly in olive oil, than deglaze it all with a sherry vinaigrette. I pour that dressing over very ripe sliced tomatoes and let it marinate for a little while. When tomatoes are in season, that’s what everybody wants.

I can still remember the amazing Sunday lunches my family enjoyed while I was growing up in the South of France. My grandmother would stick garlic cloves in a leg of lamb, then give it to my grandfather to put on the rotisserie outside. That flavorful lamb, with summer vegetable ratatouille and roasted potatoes, was just perfect, and we all looked forward to it.

And that’s how food traditions should be—delicious, crave-able and crowd-pleasing!