Name: Sausages with Potatoes and Hot Peppers
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 2 pounds red potatoes or new potatoes (4 medium-sized is best); 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 6 plump garlic cloves, crushed and peeled; 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste; 1 cup Tuscan-style peperoncini (small whole peppers) in vinegar, drained, seeded, and thinly sliced (12-ounce jar); 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste; 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages, preferably thin; A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 13-inch diameter or larger, with a cover

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle

This zesty dish is suitable for all sorts of occasions. As a first course, it will turn an ordinary meal into a festive occasion. It’s also a great main course for a family dinner, with a salad and pasta. Heap the sausages and potatoes on a big platter, and let people help themselves.

Recipe notes

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Sofrito Bolognese

An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.

Charred Vegetable Ragù

This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!

Halloumi Lasagna

In this lasagna, soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables.

Wampanoaug Clam Fritters

The clams’ natural briny sweetness serves as a surprising foil for the tender fritter batter—just be sure to pull off the tough outer coating of the siphon.

Stir-Fried Phở Noodles With Beef

This dish is not only a quick meal option but also a practical way to use leftover phở noodles when you’re out of broth.

Crispy Baked Wings With Berbere Honey Glaze and Fried Garlic

Berbere is a spicy chile blend that has floral and sweet notes from coriander and cardamom, and when it’s paired with a honey glaze, it sets these wings apart from anything else you’ve ever had.

Chicken Croquettes

Rather than breaded and fried as you might expect croquettes to be, these are something more akin to a seared chicken salad patty.