Potato

It's the possibilities in that blank crust that make pizza so much fun. Lately, we've been obsessed with white pizza. Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with mozzarella, and then let the fun begin. Without the acidity of the tomato sauce to contend with, you can really experiment. In this version, asparagus adds freshness and a hit of color, goat cheese brings a creamy tang, and fingerling potatoes (yes, potatoes) round out the pie with their richness.

Ask any butcher: Humble cuts are hot. They're full of flavor and far less expensive than prime cuts. Of the humble cuts, short ribs are one of our favorites. They’re meaty and fatty (in the best possible way) and still on the bone, which adds delicious depth of flavor. And who says you have to throw all the veggies into the stew? Here, we toss some parsnips into the pot and serve a great potato-parsnip mash on the side.

Beef with broccoli, the popular Chinese restaurant dish, is even better with the addition of sweet yam.

Making moussaka is something of an undertaking—a rich meat sauce (made here with lamb, but you can substitute other ground meats such as turkey, veal, or even pork, if you prefer), layered with tender eggplant and a cheese sauce. You can make the moussaka in two smaller casserole dishes to serve one now and freeze one to bake later.

Mashed potatoes are at their best when you don't fuss with them too much, and leaving the skins on gives them a rustic, almost rakish air. These harmonize beautifully with a generous splash of the chicken's luxurious gravy , but remember to save room for dessert.

These potatoes look like doubloons and taste like a million bucks. The addition of nutty brown butter, briny capers, and toasty homemade bread crumbs makes them a splendid companion to the pork roast—or any roasted meat, poultry, or fish, for that matter.

Luisa Marelli Valazza's interpretation of a classic Italian peasant soup at her three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Al Sorriso in Piedmont, is hands-down stunning. It's a hearty and rustic showstopper: thick and creamy fresh pea soup with tiny gnocchetti made from raisin pumpernickel bread. Great on a cold and rainy spring evening (fresh pea season). Luisa said it was three simple steps, but it's a little more than that . . .

A springy take on Niçoise salad, with radishes and asparagus in place of tomatoes and haricots verts.

Tender baby artichokes add richness to the potato hash. Aleppo pepper, from northern Syria, gives a sweet, earthy flavor to the steak and its accompanying aioli. Look for it at specialty foods stores and online at wholespice.com. If you can't find it, substitute 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika and 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder.

"Koreans are short rib masters," says Chou, who lived and cooked in Korea for several years. "It's their favorite cut." While some ribs are sliced thin, marinated, and grilled, others are reserved for stews and soups. Kalbi jjim, one of the country’s best-known concoctions, shares some ingredients with a European beef stew—namely, carrots, onions, and potatoes—but here the brothy, slightly sweet dish gets its robust undertones from dried mushrooms, soy sauce, fish sauce, and molasses, plus a dollop of hot red-pepper paste. Though it is rustic-looking, the meat's tenderness and the broth’s amazing depth make clear why this dish is a national treasure.

Roast chicken may be the epitome of comfort food, but a few little flourishes can make it the stuff of dreams. Here, porcini mushrooms infuse the bird with a woodsy aroma while soaking up all that golden chicken goodness; then they’re tossed with potatoes to serve alongside. Take advantage of the liquid left over from soaking the dried mushrooms to make a glaze, tempering its earthiness with honey and Marsala. Brushed on during the last minutes in the oven, it turns the bronzed skin into a much-coveted treat.

These are everything potatoes should be: crisp-skinned yet pillowy, sprinkled with a generous amount of salty parmesan. They require no laborious peeling and are much easier to prepare than french fries.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen. One of the best-loved ways of cooking potatoes was (and is) to mash them with boiling milk, add chopped scallions or chives and serve this creamy, green-flecked mixture with a blob of yellow butter melting in the center. Leeks, nettles, peas and brown crispy onions are all delicious additions.

In this simple chicken bake, the skin gets good and crispy, and the juices make the vegetables extra-succulent.

No southern holiday meal would be complete without sweet potatoes, and this simple twist on old-fashioned candied yams, with the addition of molasses and an orange's juice and zest, tastes bright and full of nuance.

This Greek-inspired shepherd's pie is made with lamb, eggplant, and oregano. The mashed potato topping gets its Greek flavor from kasseri cheese, a hard, salty cheese. If you can't find kasseri cheese, use Pecorino Romano instead. Finish the dish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh oregano, if desired.

Shrimp and andouille sausage give these pot pies a Cajun flair. To keep the pastry crisp, the dough is baked separately from the filling.

Potatoes help make the dough amazingly moist and tender.