My belief is that everyone who cooks has one. Something they know they can make without screwing it up. Something that’s reliable, that you can serve to other people, that’s always a hit, that never fails you, that you can make with your eyes closed at this point. Your old impressive reliable. My sister, for example, makes a gluten-free mac and cheese that is amazing*; I make a great lasagne. (I suspect a baked pasta is a classic for these parameters because they’re very forgiving.) Give me yours!

*This is the recipe she uses. She told me that she skips the panko crumbs (because of the gluten) and uses brown-rice macaroni instead, which you should slightly undercook so that they don’t get too soft when they bake. She also uses half cheddar, half Four Cheese Blend from Trader Joe’s for the cheese (that’s got fontina, asiago, etc). She also said the tricky bit is making the roux with gluten-free flour but Cup-For-Cup is her recommended brand. I have to say: it’s a GREAT mac and cheese.