Red Skin Potato

Dijon mustard and dry white wine add French flair to this longtime favorite.

This is the one potato salad that purists dream of-plenty of tangy dressing and just a bit of crunch. Low-fat or nonfat mayonnaise and sour cream can be used.

These potatoes are great with the fish - and with just about any main course.

A full-bodied Merlot would go well with this impressive Mediterranean-style dish. For an appetizer, offer melba toast spread with blue cheese; pass hot crusty bread with the shanks; and complete the supper with a simple green salad. Afterward, break out a lemon meringue pie from the bakery.

Baking the potato adds an interesting depth of flavor to the salad and lends a mouth-pleasing texture.

This salad is excellent with burgers and corn on the cob.

A simple salad with a tangy dressing-perfect for and April picnic.

Juana Vázquez-Gómez of Redondo Beach, California, writes: "Growing up in Cuernavaca, just outside Mexico City, I remember my grandmother cooking elaborate Mexican meals every day. My mother continued that tradition, but not in such an all-consuming manner. For her it was a great joy to plan a menu and then invite people to help with the preparation. "The women in my life taught me the beauty of a good meal. I still use many of their recipes today, but unlike my grandmother I don't spend an entire day in the kitchen. Fortunately, my husband and kids like to cook, so I've found a balance between my grandmother's time-intensive recipes and my mother's practicality. "

A popular salad on the island of Pantelleria.

In this simplified version of raclette, one of Switzerland's classic dishes, Swiss cheese replaces raclette cheese, and the cheese is melted in individual portions instead of being scraped from a large wheel as it melts. This dish makes a terrific appetizer, or it can be served with a green salad.

Stifado, a hearty Greek stew, can be made with almost any kind of meat, though beef is most common. Here we use lamb. It always involves either red wine or red-wine vinegar or both, herbs, and copious quantities of small whole onions.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Southern Fried Chicken . Make sure you leave the peel on the potatoes, to add extra flavor and texture to this comforting side dish.

(Adapted from The Keeper's House) Charmoula is a Moroccan fish marinade traditionally made with tomatoes, lemon, paprika, garlic, cumin, and cilantro.