Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

I have a couple of different rosemary roasted potato recipes that I use. Rosemary roasted potatoes are a great simple side that really showcase potatoes without outshining your main dish. This Barefoot Contessa version takes longer to make as you only bake the potatoes, as opposed to boiling and baking a la Jamie Oliver. However, it's a great company dinner side because you can assemble it a few hours in advance, put it in the oven an hour before, and focus on cleaning the kitchen. By the time your guests arrive, the only evidence is the smell of rosemary.

Potato Salad with Bacon and Parsley

This June 2009 Real Simple recipe for potato salad with bacon and parsley has become an instant classic in our house (and, seriously, that June 2009 issue was a real winner!). This salad has all of the flavor of a classic mustard potato salad, but it's light enough to be truly called a salad, and not a heavy side. The addition of the bacon elevates the recipe into something almost gourmet. One note: children apparently are not fans of the red wine vinegar. Good thing I am.