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Yukon Gold Standard There’s more than one way to skin a potato. Here, a dozen of the best.

G r at i nHeat oven to 400. Slice potatoes up to ¼-inch

thick; layer in an ovenproof skillet. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter; add half-and-half to come ¾ of

the way to the top (2-3 cups). Place skillet on stove and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook for 10

minutes, until the liquid level drops. Put pan in oven and bake until top browns, 10 minutes; reduce

heat to 300 and cook until tender and browned, 10 minutes more. Garnish: Grated cheese (for

the last 2 minutes of cooking); pinch of nutmeg.

EAT

42

a n c h o v y a n d P e s t o Heat oven to 375. Slice potatoes up to

¼-inch thick. Skip the butter. In a food processor, combine 2 cups basil leaves, 1 clove garlic, 2

tablespoons pine nuts, 4 anchovy fillets, ¼ cup olive oil and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan; pulse

until blended, adding another 2-4 tablespoons oil until smooth. Toss with potatoes; layer in an

8-by-10 baking dish and bake until top is browned and potatoes are done, about 55 minutes.

BAKEDBy mark Bittman

P o m m e s a n n e t t eHeat oven to 400. Peel and thinly slice all-purpose potatoes (consider

using a food processor). Toss with 3 tablespoons melted butter or oil and neatly layer in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet. Bake for 30 minutes; slide the cake out onto a

plate, cover with another plate, invert it and slide it back into the skillet, with a little more butter or oil if necessary. Continue cooking until potatoes are done and top is

browned, 20-25 minutes; cut into wedges.

P h o t o G r a P h s B y s a m K a P L a n

COMMENT Your thoughts (and recipes) are welcome at nytimes.com/magazine. You can follow Mark Bittman on Twitter: @Bittman.

There are the up-and-coming root vegetables with near-celebrity status — celeriac, parsnips, beets — and then there is the potato. Simultaneously beloved and despised, the potato is our most-grown and most-eaten vegetable and the one that is sometimes seen as a leading villain in the obesity pandemic.

O.K., but chips and fries are not the only ways to eat potatoes. A good potato can be incredibly delicious sautéed in a little garlicky olive oil, simmered in stock, boiled and drizzled with the tiniest amount of butter and a sprinkle of mint or mashed with greens. No one is going to convince me that these preparations are going to make us fat.

And those are just the start. In the something like 10,000 years since the potato was cultivated (it has been in the hands of Europeans and their descendants for only 500), there have been something like 10,000 different ways of cooking it. Here are a mere 12, but at least a few of them are bound to be new to you. All of these recipes are based on about two pounds of potatoes, roughly four medium to large spuds.

There was a time when the term ‘‘all purpose,’’ when applied to potatoes, was really wishful thinking: no potato combined waxy and mealy properties in a pleasing balance, at least not one grown in North America. The Yukon Gold changed all that. Developed in Ontario in the ’60s (but only on the market since the ’80s), it is similar to potatoes grown in Northern Europe: it’s starchy enough to bake and firm enough to boil, making it as close to the everything potato as exists.

To be specific, mashed dishes are best with russetlike varieties, and new potatoes are better for cooking in fat. (Use this type for the labor-intensive tater tots, which are little short of a revelation.)

You can peel the potatoes in these recipes or not; thin-skinned potatoes, especially, are just fine with a good scrubbing (use a brush). And remember the salt and pepper.

43t h e n e w y o r k t i m e s m A G A Z i n e

January 6, 2013

43t h e n e w y o r k t i m e s m A G A Z i n e

W i t h G r e e n sIn the recipe for Lean but Good mashed potatoes, also mash in

1 pound cooked, chopped dandelion, spinach or other cooked bitter greens. Garnish: Buttered breadcrumbs.

B L o W o u tBoil starchy or all-purpose potatoes until soft; drain.

Wipe the pot and return to very low heat. Mash with 1 stick

butter; then stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Garnish: Parsley

or chives.

L e a n B u t G o o dWhile potatoes boil, heat ¼ cup olive

oil in a skillet with 1 tablespoon minced garlic and a sprig of rosemary or thyme. When the garlic is colored (not brown), add drained potatoes

to the olive oil and mash, adding a bit more oil if you like; skip the cream.

Garnish: Chives.

tat e r t o t sParboil potatoes until tender before

grating. Mix with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper and

garlic powder. Add canola oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a skillet. Form thumb-size balls and fry until golden, 15 seconds per side.

Drain on paper towels, let cool, then bake at 400 until crisp, about 30 minutes,

turning once. (Makes 40 tots.)

röstiGrate potatoes; squeeze out excess liquid. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in

a skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium heat and add potatoes; shape into a disc. Cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. Slide

cake onto a plate, cover with another plate and invert. Add more butter to the pan and slide cake back in. Continue cooking until browned all over, turning again if

necessary. Garnish: Parsley.

L at K e sTo the grated potatoes, add 1

grated onion, 2 lightly beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

(or matzo meal); substitute neutral oil for butter. (Be liberal with the

oil.) Spoon the mixture into the oil to form pancakes; fry until brown

and crisp on both sides. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

MASHED friED

BrAiSED

c u r r i e d i n c o c o n u t m i L KSubstitute neutral oil for butter;

omit the thyme. Add 1 tablespoon chopped ginger and 2 teaspoons curry powder

with the onion. Substitute 1 1/2 cups coconut milk thinned with 1/2 cup water for

stock. Garnish: Cilantro or fresh chopped Thai chili or both.

s i m P L e Cut spuds into chunks. Heat 3 tablespoons butter

in a deep skillet or broad pot over medium-high heat; add potatoes, 1 diced onion, 1 teaspoon of garlic and a sprig

of thyme or rosemary; cook, stirring, until potatoes begin to turn golden, 10 minutes. Add good stock to barely

cover the potatoes (about 2 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes

are tender and liquid is reduced, about 30 minutes. Garnish: Thyme or rosemary.

W i t h W i n e Sauté ¼ pound diced pancetta in a little

olive oil until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

and the onion; cook for a moment, then add potatoes. Use 1 cup dry white wine and

keep 1 cup stock for liquid and cook until done. Garnish: Pancetta and parsley.