• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish
• 3 cups chopped leeks
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3¾ pounds baking potatoes
• 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (8 ounces)
• 3 cups heavy cream

Rich Scalloped Potatoes

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Beef Stew:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1½ pounds beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 1lb trimmed)
• 1 lb beef top round, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dark roux, plus more as needed
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoondried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 8 to 10 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely diced, seeded hot chiles (replace with 1 medium jalapeño or 3 serranos)
• 1/4 teaspoon finely diced fresh bird's eye chiles  (do not seed chile)
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion 
• 2 cups quartered Baby Bliss or small Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1½ cups peeled parsnips or yams, cut into bite-size dice
• 1 cup bite-sized pieces of peeled carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts)
• 1 cup bite-sized pieces of peeled turnip
• 1½ cups bite-sized pieces of celery
• 1/4 cup quartered button or small cremini mushrooms
• 3/4 cup seeded and chopped red, green, or orange bell pepper

Herbed Dumplings (optional):

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh fiat-leaf parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon poppy or caraway seeds

Note: many grocery stores carry jarred roux, both medium and dark. To make your own, for this recipe use 1/2 cup plain flour to 1/2 cup cooking oil or butter; place the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it is slightly darker than peanut butter. Adjust heat lower if you are not familiar with the process; if you scorch it, throw it away and start over. Note also that roux is basically molten lava; take care not to splash it on yourself.

Beef Stew With Herbed Dumplings

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• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 Ib russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-Inch chunks 
• 2 large eggs, beaten 
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh fiat-leaf (Italian) parsley 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• ⅓ cup all purpose (plain) flour 
• ⅓ cup minced cooked ham
• 2 green onions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup finely diced provolone or Swiss cheese
• 2 cups unseasoned dried bread crumbs
• vegetable oil for frying

Potato and Ham Croquetas

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• 5 slices white loaf bread, crusts removed 
• Milk
• 1 pound fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined, and finely ground
• 2 medium potatoes (about ½ pound), boiled and mashed
• ½ teaspoon powdered dried fennel 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• Peanut oil for deep frying

Sassy Shrimp Puffs

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For the stew

• about 4 pounds bone-in, filleted and boned - you need to end up with a little over 2 pounds of pure meat
• 1½ pounds floury potatoes, such as russet
• 1½ waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
• 2 pounds carrots
• 2 onions
• 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• chopped fresh chives and parsley, to garnish

For the stock

• bones from the lamb
• 1 large carrot, quartered
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1/2 celery stick, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large sprigs of thyme
• a generous sprig of parsley
• 6 black peppercorns, lightly crushed

Irish Lamb Stew

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• 10 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese 
• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes 
• salt and pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups diced cooked ham
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup soft fresh breadcrumbs

Ham and Potato Casserole

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• 3 strips of bacon, cut up
• 2 cups ham pieces and ham bone optional
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 ounce can tomatos, fresh when in season
• 1 (16-ounce) cans string beans, drained, fresh when available
• 6 new potatoes, scrubbed, peeled or unpeeled
• salt and pepper to taste

Creole String Beans with Ham and Potatoes

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• 5½ cups potatoes, fairly waxy like yukon gold, peeled and grated
• 2¾ cups parsnips, peeled and grated
• 2/3 cup chives, finely chopped
• 4 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6½ tablespoons sunflower oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• sour cream to serve

Potato with Parsnip Latkes

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• 8 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 8 ounces andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Cajun Corn Chowder

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• 1 pound round steak, 1/2 inch thick
• salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
• 6 large carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1/2 pound of bacon
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 6 to 8 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup water

Boeuf a la Mode

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