Potato

The term herbes de Provence refers to the mix of herbs commonly used in southern French cooking. These include basil, thyme, chives, oregano, sage, rosemary, lavender, and dill, and can be used in almost any combination. You can purchase a premixed jar of herbes de Provence and use that in place of the herbs designated in this recipe. Any white fish tastes great in this dish. Try this with cod, sole, roughy, or snapper.

In America, we’re accustomed to eating sweet potatoes candied with maple syrup and brown sugar, or even topped with marshmallows, for a supersweet Thanksgiving side dish. But savory sweet potatoes are another experience entirely. Sweet potatoes with Creole seasoning are fabulous, and with this recipe they’re very easy to make. Any Cajun or Creole seasoning mix from the grocery will do, or make your own by mixing equal parts paprika, salt, and a dash of cayenne. Be careful with the cayenne, as a little goes a long way. Beets make a delicious red substitute for tomatoes if you can’t find good fresh ones for this dish. If you prefer white potatoes, feel free to substitute a large baking potato for the sweet potato. Frozen green beans are a quick solution when you want something green to toss into a pot meal. Simply shake some beans into the pot, reseal the bag, and keep it in the freezer. A single bag can often last for quite a few meals.

If you’ve ever baked frozen fries inside while you were flipping your burgers outside on the grill, you might have wished you could just grill your fries, too. Well, we got sick of wishing and gave it a shot. These get nice and crisp, and we toss them with a little spice to make them that much more special.

Some dishes are all about the garnishes. Or maybe some families like to do it up. Either way, when we bake a potato, we don’t settle for a pat of butter. The fixin’s are the fun part! We’ve made up a whole list of optional baked potato toppings, but, for us, the Vidalia onions are nonnegotiable. These crunchy and sweet onions are a Southern favorite and, although they’re grown only in Georgia, they’re still available in many supermarkets nationwide. If you can’t get Vidalias, other sweet onions like Walla Wallas or Texas sweets taste just as good. These taters go great with all kind of mains. Two of our other favorites are All-Day Beef Chili (page 122) and Southern-Style Turkey, Tomato, and Monterey Jack Bake (page 48).

This is our go-to side dish for any and every recipe that gives you good gravy. Yukon Gold potatoes make a nice sweet, creamy mash. Try it with Bobby’s Turkey Vegetable Goulash (page 132) or Baked Chicken with Zucchini and Herbs (page 37).

Potato salad always brings back good memories for us. Our dad would make it, and just as soon as the warm potatoes were tossed with the dressing, we’d all dig in. Try serving it with Roasted Spicy Mayo Chicken Breasts (page 43).

This sweet, kid-friendly recipe (one of Jack’s all-time favorites) is like a cross between candied yams and steak fries—and it’s healthier than both! It’s also terrific with Balsamic-Glazed London Broil (page 15) and The Ultimate Spice-Rubbed Rib Steak (page 81).

This full and satisfying meal is Jamie’s dream salad—heavy on the sausage and spuds. What’s not to love?

We got this recipe from our good buddy (and Bobby’s neighbor) Michael Peay. He remembers his mom always used to make more than he and his brothers ever could eat because their house was so popular with their friends, especially around dinnertime. This stew, full of good porky sausage and plenty of tender cabbage, was his favorite childhood meal.

The crockpot might just have been invented to turn out the most tender pot roast you’ve ever had. Slow cooking makes the meat and veggies here so delicious that you might want to keep the recipe on hand for when company is coming for dinner. We think it’s so special that we serve a version of this at The Lady & Sons. And if you make it in advance, this pot roast just keeps getting better. We eat this with Buttery Stone-Ground Grits (page 25) when we get together for a family dinner.