Potato

Four ingredients yield amazing flavor in this clever side. The secret? Caramelizing the shallots, which adds an appealing sweetness to the mashed potatoes.

Homemade croutons add crunch to this smoky, spicy soup.

In this decadent side, rosemary-Roquefort mashed potatoes are scooped back into the potato skins, topped with Gruyère cheese, and baked. Serve with steak or chicken, or make a meal of one all on its own.

Forget the marshmallows. All that these sweet potatoes need is a little butter and a drizzle of honey.

Baking the potatoes and carrots before mashing them gives this side a rich, complex flavor. pieces

Tossing the potatoes in a vinegar-mustard mixture before roasting gives them a flavorful crust.

Capers, a common ingredient in traditional Sicilian cooking, give this gratin a tangy, briny flavor. Serve alongside whole roasted fish, roast pork, or sautéed chicken breasts.

There's no question: If meatloaf, then potatoes. These have all the comfort of mashed, but with a nice texture from the potato slices and from being baked in cream. And they can go in the oven along with the meatloaf, so dinner will be ready all at once.

This potato soup recipe was brought over from Poland by test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau's grandmother.

Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes) are neither artichokes nor from Jerusalem, but rather the tuber of a variety of sunflower native to America. The knobby, gnarly vegetable is often overlooked, but its sweet, nutty flavor makes it worth seeking out.

Like many an accomplished hostess in the South, Miss Lewis was a dab hand at making yeast rolls and always generously anointed them with butter before putting them in the oven. Dinner rolls should be brought to the table hot, so if you make them early in the day, you will want to reheat them gently. (Leftovers are great for breakfast the next morning, split, buttered, and served with homemade strawberry or fig preserves.) Mashed potato is a traditional addition to a yeast dough like this one; it helps the rising and also contributes to its tenderness. These rolls have outstanding flavor and are so light and fluffy they almost levitate.

Potatoes aren't a backbone starch in the South, but they're one vegetable, notes Miss Lewis, that is good in all seasons.

Think of the best sweet-potato pie you've ever eaten and then take away the crust so you can revel solely in its silky goodness. A bite of this pudding is full and round, with hits of chestnut and dried fruit.

Potato pancakes get a makeover, and so do you! These have lots of vitamin A, which will help keep your skin healthy for the holidays.

Thick-cut oven fries are delicious—and so easy, especially if you don't have time to make the deep-fried version. Use russet or purple potatoes, or a mixture of both.

It's no secret that kids go crazy for crisp, fried potatoes. Serve them these classic latkes and you'll be giving them exactly what they want.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Anne Willan's book The Country Cooking of France. La Truffade If you can't afford truffles, you indulge in Truffade, say the inhabitants of the Auvergne, notoriously among the coldest and most rugged areas of France. Often served with sausages, Truffade is a potato cake flavored with bacon and laden with cheese, a buttress against the worst weather. Nippy Cantal is the local hard cheese, and Gruyère may be substituted.

Make this side dish a day or two ahead. On Thanksgiving, reheat it in the oven or microwave.