For many Southerners, the end of Lent means the end of forty days of restraint in the realm of eating and merrymaking. In honor of the occasion—and for anyone who wants to cook up something special—we’ve rounded up ten of our most indulgent recipes for whatever you’ve been missing most.
If you’ve been craving…
…bourbon, mix up this easy, seasonal bourbon tonic freshened up with Amontillado sherry, thyme, and honey syrup.
…red meat, you need a steak, cooked perfectly in a cast-iron skillet.
…or this slow-cooked, scrumptious lamb and gravy from writer Crystal E. Wilkinson’s childhood in Kentucky.
…fried chicken, try this saucy, fall-off-the-bone version from Al Copeland, the founder of Popeyes.
…something cheesy, go for this grits casserole with Gruyère and Parmesan from Kevin Johnson of the Grocery in Charleston.
…something even cheesier, Ashley Poole of Poole’s Diner in Raleigh has the answer with a baked, gooey mix of sharp cheddar, Jarlsberg, and Grana Padano that’s become a cult favorite.
…pasta, make these grown-up buttered noodles from a cookbook all about the indulgent use of butter.
…chocolate cake, bake this creamy chocolate lover’s rendition in which Duke’s Mayonnaise is the secret weapon and a ganache icing tops everything off.
…candy, make an easy, county fair prize–winning peanut butter fudge.
…two vices with one stone, here’s an ice cream sundae drizzled in bourbon hot fudge and topped with bourbon-soaked cherries. And a bourbon brown butter peach ice cream.
Lindsey Liles joined Garden & Gun in 2020 after completing a master’s in literature in Scotland and a Fulbright grant in Brazil. The Arkansas native is G&G’s digital reporter, covering all aspects of the South, and she especially enjoys putting her biology background to use by writing about wildlife and conservation. She lives on Johns Island, South Carolina.
