Potato

A staple of German cuisine, potatoes were a vital part of the diet of heartland settlers.

A satisfying all-in-one main course. The fatty acids in salmon make this recipe particularly healthful.

Have more French bread on hand to serve with this colorful main course. A dry white wine is a good match.

Herbs and a touch of maple syrup accent this colorful breakfast dish.

Loosely translated from the Yiddish, tzimmes means "a fuss over something," but in culinary terms, it's commonly a casserole of various fruits, vegetables and/or meats.

Bruce Aidells, founder of Aidell's Sausage Company, says, "I first discovered that fennel was a delicious vegetable while enjoying Christmas Eve dinner at the home of a dear friend of mine, the late cooking teacher Loni Kuhn. At her own family's holiday meals, a gratin of fennel, potatoes and cheese was a much appreciated standard. The mild anise flavor of cooked fennel goes particularly well with roast turkey or roast pork, and it has been a regular at my family's holiday table for more than twenty years."

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.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. If you prefer your soup a little thicker, crush 6 saltines into fine crumbs and add them at the end of the procedure, when you add the crab.

"I know everyone at my dinner table may protest at first, but plain mashed potatoes seem rather rustic for such a special day," says Mark Risley, director of Tante Marie's Cooking School. "I like to borrow from the French when it comes to cooking for holidays, and in France holiday time means it's truffle time. So I've decided we should adopt that tradition in this country (at least I plan to in my house) because there is no better way to eat mashed potatoes than when they are flavored with truffles."

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

Julia Shure of Albany, California, writes: "This comforting soup has both cream cheese and cheddar, which give it a rich, smooth texture. While it makes an elegant first course, the soup can also be a satisfying meal partnered with a simple salad and some crusty bread."

This soup is from Russia and Poland.