Potato

A simple roast potato becomes a thing of beauty thanks to humble parsley.

Mashed potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser at holiday meals. But if you want to mix things up a bit this year, try one of our delicious variations, below.

"I spend as much time as I can cooking," writes Brigette Lyons of Allendale, New Jersey, "and I'm equally comfortable feeding two or two hundred. I thoroughly enjoy giving sit-down meals, including an annual Christmas luncheon I do for about twenty guests. I just like to cook, period. Cooking for two hundred may be different from making weeknight dinners for myself and my husband, John, but organization is the key to both. I try to keep things on hand that are simple and easy to prepare." These rich and creamy mashed potatoes (thanks to sour cream and cream cheese) can be prepared ahead of time.

On a recent trip to California, Susan Livingston of Marblehead, MA had a caramelized garlic and onion bisque at the Edna Valley Bistro in San Luis Obispo. It was so unique and outstanding that she made a point of complimenting the chef, Herbert Norton. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

This sophisticated appetizer from Aqua in San Francisco is nice for a special occasion.

If you can't find pancetta, you can substitute regular bacon.

Hearty fare from Auberge Sauvignon. Filet mignon is used instead of a cheaper cut, but the result is worth it.

This moist spoon bread (a pudding-like bread made with cornmeal) tastes best warm.

Suzanne Rushing of Cannon Beach, Oregon, writes: "On a recent trip to St. Louis, my husband and I went to Harvest restaurant twice because we were so impressed with the food. I would love to have the recipe for chef Stephen Gontram's wonderful chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and herb-roasted tomatoes." The clear olive broth, flavored with fennel, spinach, and olives, makes a delicious sauce for this dish of chicken, potatoes, and roasted tomatoes.

Extra-virgin olive oil takes the place of cream and butter in these decadent, golden mashed potatoes.

Goat cheese and truffle oil add rich flavors to the humble sweet potato.

Schupfnudeln The potato in this recipe cools for what seems an excessively long time — 4 hours or overnight — but chefs in Baden insist on this step because as the potato cools, more moisture evaporates through the skin, requiring less flour to be worked into the dough. The result is a lighter dumpling. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 5 hr (includes cooling)

Insalata Pantasca Insalata pantasca is the potato and tomato salad of Pantelleria, a small, poor island near Sicily, which is famous for its capers. Big, fat capers, full of flavor and packed in salt. Like any local recipe, this has as many variations as there are cooks. The fish that you would find in the Pantelleria salad, however, is something you can't locate in this country. I like sardines in it; you might try something different, such as smoked trout. You wouldn't find yellow-fleshed potatoes on the island, but I love their flavor in this salad. The more traditional choices would be whites, or red-skinned — something on the waxy side.

In this baked version of shoestring potatoes, the texture of the fries varies — some are crisp and some soft, but all are delicious.