Russet Potato

"On the last night of a teachers' conference in Boulder, Colorado, I had dinner with some colleagues at a delightful little restaurant called Dandelion," says Cindy Chassee of Wyoming, Michigan. "We sat on the patio and shared a memorable gnocchi and wild mushroom dish." Gnocchi, tender potato dumplings, aren't difficult to make. A hint of truffle oil intensifies the flavors in the sauce, which would also go well with other types of pasta.

The Provençal specialty known as brandade is typically made with salt cod. Serve this vegetarian version as a main course topped with a poached egg. It's also great as a side dish or spread on toasts for an appetizer.

It's hard to believe that there's only one tablespoon of butter in this rich-tasting side dish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Northern Greeks, particularly those from Salonika, eat a lot of clams and mussels, usually as mezedes. Here's an easy-to-make dish from Greece's "second city" Cappetino.

Russet potatoes are the classic choice for baking but also are best for frying. Because they’re high in starch and low in moisture, they make crisper fries. And don’t refrigerate potatoes for frying; the sugars that accumulate cause very rapid browning and the fries can turn bitter. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min

Suzelle Kasaian writes: "Tahoe Joe's here in Fresno may be missing Lake Tahoe's mountain views, but the lodge-style restaurant has plenty of good food. I'd like to get the recipe for the mashed potatoes referred to on the menu as 'mountain mashers.'"

We found celery root and Jerusalem artichokes equally delicious in this puree.

A creamy "comfort" soup that has plenty of richness without a lot of cream.

An old-fashioned and versatile dish. Serve it over split hot biscuits (or toasted English muffins) for brunch or over egg noodles for a comforting simple dinner.

Although we feature smoked fish in this chowder, the recipe works equally well with fresh fillets of such white fish as cod, haddock, halibut, or snapper.

This soup is related to brotchán foltchep, a classic leek and oatmeal soup (also known as brotchán roy) that combines leeks, oatmeal and milk. This version is thickened with potatoes instead of oatmeal and flavored with chicken stock instead of milk. Serve it with savory whole wheat scones or slices of brown soda bread.

Thirty-six garlic cloves may sound like a lot, but they're cooked until mellow in flavor. This recipe was created to accompany Spiced Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Mango Salsa.