Red Skin Potato

This is a great excuse to get outside and grill—and an even better excuse to have smoky kielbasa for dinner. A vinegary potato salad adds a welcome note of acidity while making this a meal in itself.

These tender little potatoes, stuffed to the brim with a garlicky, cheesy filling, are an easy alternative to mashed or baked potatoes.

Sertl appreciated the basic recipes he learned at The CIA the most. "When you're crunched for time, you're grateful to have these go-to techniques under your belt," he says. These buttery, parsleyed red potatoes have just a suggestion of saffron.

Though coq au vin made with red wine is perhaps the best-known incarnation of the French dish in this country, most regions of France have unique versions that take advantage of local wines. Alsace's dry Riesling lends a gentle richness to this creamy, comforting meal.

These will add a southwestern-style kick to your Thanksgiving menu.

Bacon and a little cream give this chowder lashings of decadence — but, because there are no thickeners, it's surprisingly light.

The mayo can also be made with dill.

This creamy-crispy take on mashed potatoes, similar to a giant latke, is ideal for a dinner party because it can be assembled ahead.

Leaving the skins on small red-skinned potatoes adds wonderful color and texture and makes this dish even easier to prepare.

Potatoes in three colors give this salad an all-American look.

This salad is no bland picnic side dish: Slices of deli ham and bits of salty bacon give it hearty main-course appeal.

(Chileajo) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Zarela Martinez's book The Food and Life of Oaxaca. Martinez also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Martinez and Oaxacan cuisine, click here. Despite the name, this is unrelated to chileajo con puerco except for the presence of the chile and garlic that give it its name. It is one of the classic Oaxacan street snacks, especially at fiesta time, when food stands are crowded all around the beautiful Oaxaca City Zócalo (town square). Here you find women selling this wonderful specialty — a garlicky, spicy vegetable melange on a crisp fried corn tortilla, topped with a delicious combination of crumbled cheese, thinly sliced onion, and oregano. It's inspired. If you can find amarillo chiles, use a combination of them and the less characteristic, more available guajillos. Do not griddle-dry the amarillos, as they scorch easily. The tortillas used for chileajo are very small, about 3 inches in diameter. If you cannot find such a thing, cut out 3-inch rounds from larger commercial corn tortillas.

With the mercury rising, who wants to feast on a winter stew? Lighten up with this dish from Sondra Bernstein, author of The Girl & the Fig Cookbook (Simon &Schuster). It features fresh herbs and veggies and a protein-packed halibut fillet. Then, instead of hitting the couch to digest, you can hit the pavement for an after-dinner stroll.

Greetings from Boston, home of New England clam chowder. Clam chowder is a year-round comfort food. But knowing that just one bowl of the creamy kind can pack 41 grams of fat isn't so comforting. We lightened the soup considerably — without sacrificing its velvety texture and rich flavor — by cutting back on butter and using lower-fat Canadian bacon and fat-free half-and-half (we used Land O'Lakes). Now you can feel good about spooning up this soup, which is high in iron (the clams) and calcium (the "cream").

A meatless yet rich dish that would make a perfect appetizer for St. Patrick's Day dinner.

No, this isn't more British nursery food: Garlicky, sweet, and creamy, it's a wonderful side dish for roasts and meaty white fish.

You can never have enough potatoes, especially when they're perked up with fennel, which becomes so tender, it lends loads of moisture to the dish.

Lighten up: To reduce the fat and calories in the cod, substitute 1/3 cup light mayonnaise for the 1/2 cup regular mayo called for.