Category: Potatoes

--inspired by Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters   This gorgeous platter of food is less rich than Alice's original--I substitute vegetable broth (my homemade veggie bouillon broth typically) for white wine and chicken stock. I think it is plenty rich and satisfying as is--the butter certainly makes it so. I use salmon whereas she calls for halibut but by all means use what you have--as long it's a fairly substantial, meaty fish. And use regular green cabbage if you don't have savoy--either one is delicious. ... Read more »

--Technique inspired by Todd Coleman's Potato Gratin via Food52.com   This is endlessly adaptable in that you can use any combination of roots and/or tubers you have or even mix in hearty greens. You can change the herbs or add or substitute spices. By cooking the vegetables in a a bit of cream or milk (or with some broth) before you put them in the oven you also save some time. ... Read more »

--adapted from Myrtha Foradori via Anthony Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm (who grows both the black radish and the horseradish)   This is a simple but elegant soup. The wine and radish give it a nice tang and the sour cream and fresh grated horseradish finish it with real flair. ... Read more »

This is a simple technique that can be used with most any root vegetable or better yet, combination of roots. You can change the ratio of vegetables to suit your taste or to what you have on hand.  ... Read more »

This simple but thick and luscious soup is a mainstay of Tuscan cooking and used to be made by re-cooking (ribollire) yesterday's minestrone and simmering it over stale bread in this second incarnation. I make it all in one go, as do many Italians, but it is even better the next day. It takes a while to make unless you are using already cooked beans, but it is worth the time.   Ribollita calls for a modest list of ingredients and the bread and some good olive oil are important. And it's extra good if you have some roasted tomatoes to use, but canned is just fine.  ... Read more »

--inspired by World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey   Serves 4   Richly flavored, hearty yet relatively light, this North Indian combination of flavors is so delicious and beyond a bit of chopping a cinch to make. You you can adjust the level of heat with more or less cayenne and by using/omitting the seeds of the fresh pepper. You can adapt the ratio of potatoes to tomatoes to suit your needs just be sure to keep enough liquid in the pan to keep it a just a little saucy.  ... Read more »

Corn chowder is quick to make, adaptable, and a rich yet fresh late summer dish that takes advantage of corn, peppers of any kind, potatoes and herbs. You can cook the potatoes longer and have them thicken the soup a bit or less long and have distinct chunks. Adapt as you see fit. And here's a lighter tomato-based version.... Read more »

I take the idea of Salade Nicoise and adapt it all summer long, i.e. take fresh and/or cooked vegetables, good Oregon Albacore (usually canned), and hardboiled eggs, drizzled with an herby and/or creamy dressing, as a complete, fabulous dinner. You can also skip the tuna as it's fabulous without too.   Quantities can be adapted to suit your needs and can be varied in all ways. You just want enough dressing for everything so scale that up if you’re using more vegetables.... Read more »

--adapted from Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson   This dish was inspired by the ever clever and creative Heidi Swanson. I’ve changed a bunch of things: I omitted the tofu croutons but by all means add diced tofu if you have it. I serve it over rice to give it heft and make it a one-dish meal. I used green instead of red curry paste, onions instead of shallots and added lots of basil.   This recipe uses a good number of summer squash. It’s great warmed up the next day for lunch either eaten as soup or over rice. I can imagine this being delicious with other veggies as well as the season changes so experiment as you see fit. It would also be delicious with some chicken or prawns if you want to dress it up a bit and make it even heartier.... Read more »

You can use snap or snow peas instead of shelling peas or omit them or omit the favas or substitute sliced green beans. All of those variations, and I'm sure many others, are excellent. It's a simple, fresh salad that is good warm or at room temperature and can be added to--hardboiled egg, tuna, other herbs, scallions, etc.   Serves 4  ... Read more »

-inspired by smittenkitchen.com   Good for a crowd, good at room temperature and just robust and beautiful and tasty! You can scale this however you want but it's worth making a good amount and the potatoes can always be warmed up the next day if you have any leftover, and you could use leftover potatoes to make a hash or add to a scramble and top with more romesco.... Read more »

One beautiful spring evening when I couldn't bear the thought of coming in to cook dinner I threw together this little sauté and it was a keeper. The spices make it a bit more interesting and the cool yogurt a nice counter point. You can use most any vegetable and can certainly make it spicy or play with other seasonings, like adding ginger or coriander as well. I used chard, potatoes and onions in this version. ... Read more »

This takes some time but is well worth it. If you have a slow cooker you can adapt the recipe for it. It makes a good amount and the leftovers are even better. It's delicious with either pork or chicken (pictured above).  ... Read more »

  I took some distinct liberties with this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks. You can also just roast the vegetables with the spice mix (chermoula) and enjoy those as a side and skip the bulgur salad and yogurt or just make the veggies and top with the yogurt, cilantro and mint. It is a fun take on plain roasted vegetables in any case. And I think it is best with eggplant (what the original recipes uses exclusively), though my six-year-old definitely preferred the potatoes. This dish takes a bit of time but makes a lot.   ... Read more »

--inspired by Tender by Nigel Slater   The turmeric gives the finished dish a golden hue and the mustard seeds and ginger add texture and flavor, as does the sweet, mild green garlic, used generously here.... Read more »

--adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi   This makes a lot but it just gets better with each re-heating. And it is so delicious that if you have enough potatoes, spices, etc. by all means make the full amount. It is a long list of spices but you can adapt and omit if you need to and use ground spices instead of toasting and grinding yourself. This dish does need plenty of salt so taste and don't be shy with the seasoning.... Read more »

Sweet, salty and a bit charred . . .This was one of my very favorite things to eat when I lived in Calabria (the toe of the Italian boot) more than 20 years ago. It doesn’t really get any simpler but you need to be brave with the heat and have good ventilation. And don't skimp on the oil either.... Read more »

Frittatas come to my rescue often. This combination, made with the sweet peppers, potatoes and basil is fantastic. And if you have lots of people to feed or want to stretch the eggs you have you can always add ½ cup -3/4 cup (or more) milk to the egg mixture.   Leftover frittata makes a wonderful sandwich filling with a  few leaves of arugula or other greens if you have them, or is just a wonderful snack or lunch as is. Variations Substitute other vegetables, such as zucchini, asparagus, peas, broccoli, cauliflower or kohlrabi for the pepper and/or potatoes. Leafy greens are also delicious, such as spinach, kale, chard, mustard or collard greens. Add feta, fresh goat's cheese or grated sharp cheddar or a cheese of your choice, when you add the egg mixture to the vegetables. Tear up a slice or two of crusty bread and add it to the egg mixture.   Serves 3 as an entrée 5-6 as a side.... Read more »

--adapted from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan   This is such a classic soup, and for good reason. It's delicate yet complex and just lovely. I like it with croutons and drizzle of olive oil and a bit of chopped parsley. It's also good with toasted bread with fresh goat cheese. This serves many but the leftovers are delicious though it does not freeze well, in my experience. But it will keep well for 3-4 days in the fridge.... Read more »

This is the loveliest platter of food—blanched chard and roasted chicken are dressed with the same, lemony, minty green onion vinaigrette. You can also roast the potatoes and cook the chard and use perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs (cover eggs generously with cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit in hot water for 8-9 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water) instead of chicken or you could use canned Oregon Albacore. The dressing is really what ties all together.  ... Read more »