Russet Potato

I leave the roots on the leeks until after cooking, so they don't fall apart. Just wash and trim beforehand.

This frittata makes a perfect brunch or lunch — it works especially well for a picnic. And on a steamy summer night, it may be all you need for dinner. Adding a green salad and a nice piece of bread is an easy way to round out the plate.

This recipe was inspired by stoemp, a Belgian dish of mashed potatoes with vegetables.

This rib-sticking soup makes a fine meal, especially with a salad alongside. See how to dice potatoes.

This stuffed potato is practically a meal in itself; just add a salad, and you're all set.

At the restaurant, the gnocchi are shaped in a time-honored manner that includes pressing each short dough piece against the tines of a fork. Home cooks may find it simpler to roll the dough along the wires of a whisk, as outlined here. Also, if you can't get ground chuck, buy a boneless chuck roast, and ask the butcher to grind it for you.

Our food editors agree that this is one of the best-tasting and most elegant shepherd's pies they've ever had. The recipe is not as complicated as it appears at first glance—the different components all come together to make a complete meal in a single dish. The potatoes are stiffer than the average mash because they will be forming the crust for the pie.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Crème fraîche makes these potatoes extra rich and utterly delicious.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Shepherd's Pie. Using the microwave makes cooking the potatoes especially easy.