Russet 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)

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

If you can't find fresh lobsters, frozen lobster meat can be used.

Though pierogies are a classic Polish dish, food editor Paul Grimes had them every Easter at his Russian grandmother's house. Pierogies are satisfyingly rich, so you'll only need to serve 2 or 3 per person as a first course; leftovers make a great breakfast.

Potatoes are a must on any bistro menu. Here, they are grated and layered with cheese to form a large pancake-like galette.

(GNOCCHI DI SPINACI ALLA BAVA) Spinach adds great color and flavor to these light dumplings. The topping consists of melted butter and Fontina cheese, a product made in the neighboring region of Valle d'Aosta but used for many local dishes.

We like to team this with red and green cabbage coleslaw, pickled onions and carrot sticks-as well as a pint of ale. Have lemon ice cream cones for dessert.

Yams are blended with regular russets in a nice rendition of mashed potatoes. If you decide to double the recipe, use a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

Chilies add a southwestern twist to this traditional chowder.

These would also be great with beef or pork.

At Hanukkah I always made potato pancakes at the last minute so we tried my recipe but added zucchini to change the color. I wrang out the hand-grated potatoes in a tea towel and got rid of as much of the liquid as possible but retained the starch. I always add scallions, onions, and eggs but no filler. Rochelle Rose, mother of the proprietors of Mrs. Simpson's Restaurant This recipe was created at the first of Mrs. Rose's sons' restaurants, 209 1/2, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. This recipe appeared in the "You Asked for It" column in Gourmet magazine in 1977.

You can buy a cooked chicken and frozen puff pastry for this dish. Both make this pot pie a very easy family meal.

This soup is from Russia and Poland.

Hot or cold, this soup is a great starter and can be a meal in itself. It's thickened with potatoes — not cream — but tastes self-indulgent just the same. [NB: This recipe requires a slow cooker.]