Potato

Creaminess is added to buttery Yukon Golds with just olive oil and potato water.

I particularly like this sweet potato casserole because it isn't candy-sweet—no marshmallows, no canned crushed pineapple, no honey, and not very much sugar. I don't boil the sweet potatoes before I mash them; I bake them so they're less watery and have better flavor. Here's how: Pierce each sweet potato with a sharp-pronged kitchen fork, set on a baking sheet, then bake on the middle oven shelf for about 1 hour at 400° F. or until you can pierce a potato easily with a fork. Cool the potatoes to room temperature, peel, then mash until light and fluffy.

Chef Christian Constant's unforgettable potatoes stuffed with pigs' trotters at Les Cocottes, in Paris, inspired this homey but adventurous take on an American favorite: the stuffed baked potato. We used breakfast sausage and a savory glaze that does double duty as a salad dressing.

This rustic, one-dish meal incorporates ingredients that southwestern France is known for: prunes, Armagnac, leeks, potatoes, and mushrooms. The ragout's combination of sweet, salty, and earthy acts as a complex backdrop for the duck.

Bright apple flavor, plus a surprising tanginess. This sweet puree is a nice change of pace from the usual mashed potatoes.

Fresh fennel, rosemary, and crème fraîche give mashed potatoes added appeal.

Two kinds of potatoes are thinly sliced and combined with cream, butter, cheese, and a mixture of herbs.

Thanksgiving goes Provençal with this elegant dish.

Much more interesting than plain mashed potatoes, this purée gets an earthy boost from celery root and chervil and an amazing smoothness and richness from a generous amount of cream.

Roast the wedges with points facing up to brown all sides.

An Indian-inspired version of the French classic, layered with eye-opening flavors (yes, it hurts so good), this is a great side dish with any of the meat offerings in this book. I love to serve it for Sunday brunch, as a piquant alternative to hash browns.

In this Spanish-style frittata, the potatoes and zucchini are characteristically creamy and filling. The dish is also a host's friend, since it tastes just right at room temperature.

This satisfying chowder is sweetened with summer corn and made extra-creamy by adding the milky starch from the cobs.

In Korean kitchens, spicy kimchi (fermented cabbage) is used in all sorts of things, including savory pancakes. This recipe tempers its garlicky heat with mellow sweet potatoes.

When the gang is coming over for poker night, don't order pizza and subs—this is what you should make. Flatiron steak is meaty, tender, and deeply satisfying. Crisped spuds soak up the meat's creamy, woodsy sauce, and we love the simplicity of making a single large hash brown that can be cut into multiple wedges.

Alice Waters, founder and owner of Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, champions the environmental benefits of organic produce and highlights vegetables’ freshness with simple preparations. In this adaptation of her potato coins, we coax the starch out of waxy, thin-skinned fingerlings to create a silky pan sauce. The faint vegetal sweetness of this dish pairs well with just about anything.

A bit of Spanish chorizo goes a long way, lending another dimension to a skillet full of mouthwatering clams and potatoes.

This hearty potato salad is typically made from sliced potatoes, bacon, onions, and celery. A small amount of bacon fat is used to flavor the vinaigrette that seasons this dish. It is most often served warm or at room temperature for the very best flavor.

We can't get enough of this method for braising potatoes. In this variation, their tenderness is emphasized by an unctuous olive-oil glaze punctuated with fresh chives and tarragon.