Sweet Potato

This dish is even better served over couscous.

The sweet potato and coconut milk balance the spiciness of this dish. Serve it over white rice, and dinner is ready.

Roast chicken or smoked turkey can step in for the pork, or meat can be omitted entirely for a great side dish. The roasting can be done all at once or in stages. This dish can also be served hot.

David Barber, chef at Three Square Grill in Portland, Oregon, writes: "Even though I cook for a living, I still enjoy having friends over for dinner. My wife, Barbara, and I actually have the worst kitchen in the world. But that doesn't matter when you have what I consider the basics, like a good sharp chef's knife and a stand mixer. And because Barbara is a gardener, we've learned how to make impressive meals using fewer, but fresher, ingredients."

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The New Prospect Café, a health-oriented restaurant and catering company in Park Slope, Brooklyn, includes these curried sweet potato fritters on their Hanukkah menu. Add some fresh grated ginger to the pancakes for an Asian touch. Sweet potatoes need the flour to give the pancakes body.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Purchase a roasted turkey leg or whole chicken at your market. This is also a great use for leftover turkey.

A well-sharpened French mandoline with a fluted blade is the secret to these paper-thin potato wafers with a waffle design. Active time: 55 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Chef Jean-Charles Bredas has this entrée on the menu at Habitation Lagrange in Martinique. Have the butcher cut the lamb neck bones for you.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This is a sophisticated first course. The soup is also nice without the lobster. Uncork a Chardonnay or a French Sancerre.

Aromatic spice and herb blends can quickly turn an ordinary soup recipe into something extraordinary. Here they transform a basic carrot soup into a special concoction you'll crave again and again. So start utilizing the "cook once, eat twice" theory; just freeze half of the recipe or make a double batch whenever possible.