Pam Anderson

Because they are lower in starch than Yukon Golds or russets, baby red potatoes hold their shape when tossed.

Serve with sweet potato or root vegetable chips. The sweet potatoes can be cooked in a microwave in just 10 to 12 minutes.

For chicken and turkey cutlets, boneless pork chops and tenderloin, steaks, and burgers. You can't offer a series of pan sauces without a mushroom one. I have chosen shiitakes, since they sauté more quickly than other mushrooms. Rather than using cream or butter, enrich this sauce with fresh goat cheese.

The rice needs to stir-fry in a generous amount of oil. (It's fried rice, after all.) If you don't use enough oil, the dish starts to taste more like a rice casserole. Note that except for the 2 eggs, 1 onion, and 1 garlic clove, all the other ingredients begin with 4.

Use one, two, or all three toppings.

These newfangled burgers are stuffed with feta cheese. Pressing the center of the raw hamburger to form a slight indentation prevents the burger from puffing up in the center when cooking.

The dog-and-relish combo, reinvented.

A variation on twice-baked potatoes, these are an eye-catching takeoff on a sweet potato casserole. The sweet potato flesh is pureed with butter and milk, returned to the hollowed-out shells, and topped with mini marshmallows before a final baking. You can puree the potatoes in a blender or a food processor; use the blender for an especially silky texture.

A food processor is the cleanest, quickest way to get the toasts to a sand-and-pebble consistency, but you can also leave the Melba toast in the packaging, let out any excess air and crush them with a rolling pin.

This stew should be made in a large soup kettle measuring at least 10 inches in diameter. If the kettle is any smaller, you may need to cook the meat in three batches. I like mashed potatoes with my stew. If you prefer potato chunks in your stew, boil them separately and add them to the pot with the carrots and peas.