Bon Appetit

Brisket With Fennel and Herbs

Alison Roman wants to make brisket worth looking forward to. This one is seasoned heavily with salt and pepper, seared until deeply browned, strewn with caramelized savory aromatics (no mushy carrots!), and braised until fall-apart tender. When it’s nearly done, crank the oven and brown the top again, restoring the crust lost in the braise and reducing the liquid to a rich spoonable sauce. “And yeah,” she adds, “of course there will be red pepper flakes because every hunk of meat deserves some heat and I like what I like.” Serve this with crisped boiled potatoes, thick slices of toast, or rice noodles.