Side

Editor's note: This recipe was created by chef Einat Admony for an Israeli Passover menu. This tangy salad is an interesting departure from baba ghanoush, and makes a terrific Passover starter when served with matzoh. You'll want to begin preparing it a day ahead, since it has to marinate overnight.

This works as a first course or as a side.

These are just a tiny bit sweet. For the tenderest result, stir in dry ingredients just until blended.

Baby beets, which are roughly the size of a large marble, are sweeter than mature beets and cook more quickly.

Here's a veggie take on classic carpaccio. Chioggia beets would also be beautiful.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from chef Paul Flynn of The Tannery in Dungarvan, Ireland. The French regard rutabaga as animal feed, but the Irish know better and use it in numerous beloved dishes. In this recipe, the root vegetable's sweet starchiness is the perfect foil for smoked mackerel, another ingredient for which the Irish have great respect.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Govind Armstrong's Small Bites, Big Nights and is part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. For Bittman's tips on preparing a modern Passover meal, click here.

Think of it as a giant potato pancake, or latke, made even more savory with the addition of cheese. This skillet-fried cake of Yukon Golds, cut into neat wedges, is elegant enough for guests and versatile enough to serve any time of day.

Cooking cucumbers takes them out of the salad realm, transforming them into a side dish that's perfect with fish or white meat. Perked up with mint and lemon, they're as refreshing as ever.

A salad from your pantry and fridge: Canned and frozen beans are the secret behind this attractive mix that includes crunchy celery and earthy cumin.

This is not a sweet dish—don't be fooled by the first step for the sauce, making a caramel. Browning the sugar brings out savory and bitter notes that balance out the silky, earthy potatoes in an irresistible way. Though this dish is actually a Danish Christmas classic, we think these gorgeous potatoes should be cooked a lot more often than just once a year.

Be sure to sample "forest greens" if you find them on a menu in Copenhagen—this term is not just a flight of fancy. The greens on offer there are pristine wild lettuces, herbs, and grasses growing in the mountains and on the forest floor. Since most of us don't have the opportunity to forage forest greens, we made this salad with a tangle of microgreens, which work nicely. The vinaigrette nods to the Scandinavian love for curry, but it truly plays up the flavors of the pork and potatoes as well, so feel free to drizzle it all over the plate.