Potato

Bake these potatoes in the oven along with the Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata .

These supremely easy, wonderfully spicy potatoes are delicious with Panfried Pork Chops with Pomegranate and Fennel Salsa.

A 3 1/2-pound chicken works well, too, in this dish from Syracuse.

This recipe originally accompanied Buffalo Steak and Onion Confit on Garlic Toasts .

This is my favorite mashed potato recipe. These mashed potatoes taste as if they contain a great deal more fat than they do. I use buttermilk to mash the potatoes because it has a natural creaminess yet is far lower in fat than milk or cream, and I add a small amount of butter at the end, only after the potatoes have absorbed the liquid. The butter stays on the surface of the potatoes, its flavor readily discernible, imparting a truly rich finish. Be sure to use fine-textured, thin-skinned potatoes like Yellow Finns or Yukon Golds, which become extremely creamy when mashed. If made with baking potatoes, the result will be grainy and watery.

From Daniel Boulud and Alex Lee, the former executive chef at Daniel in New York.

Scented with grated orange peel and spices, this dish is a combination of classic holiday flavors. You can make it a day ahead and reheat it on the stove top or in the microwave.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

"My favorite lamb dish in recent memory was a lamb shank at Bistro 110 here in Chicago," writes Valerie Young of Chicago, Illinois. "The waiter told me that it was seasoned with cumin, coriander, and curry, then braised for a very long time." The secret to this recipe? The lamb marinates overnight in a fragrant oil-and-spice mixture. If you don't have a spice grinder or coffee grinder, use a mallet to crush the seeds in a resealable plastic bag.

Not to worry: There's just enough bacon in the snappy dressing to add flavor but not much fat to this colorful salad. Serve it alongside grilled chicken or fish for a healthful summer dinner.

Skordalia is a garlicky Greek dip made with mashed or pureed potatoes.

These small potato cups (each one is half a russet potato) are a great choice if you're short on oven space. The potatoes can be baked and stuffed one day ahead and chilled, then warmed in the oven for 20 minutes while the turkey rests before carving.

Just a few ingredients are all it takes to prepare a wonderful side dish that's great for any time of the year.

Pasta e Fagioli Venetians prize a soup made thick by using mashed beans. This recipe is based on the preparations at Venice's Fiaschetteria Toscana and Osteria alla Bomba. A tablespoon of salt may sound like a lot, but it is needed to bring out the beans' flavor.

This autumnal dish is especially appropriate and welcome as the first course on a cool fall evening. The subtle sweetness of the squash is enhanced by the flavors of the pears, orange, and ginger, making it a great addition also to the Thanksgiving Table.

Though the chips and purée can be served at room temperature, the caviar should be chilled, so assemble these hors d'oeuvres in batches as platters need replenishing.