Jayne Cohen

Traditional potato latkes are spiced up with hot paprika and enhanced with earthy porcini mushrooms. They are especially good with roasted meats, poultry, or fish. This recipe will serve four to five as a side dish.

Serve with: Steaks, burgers, sausages, pork, duck, or salmon. Combine with: Sautéed greens (such as escarole). Use as: A topping for thin-crust pizza sprinkled with Gorgonzola.

Serve with: Roast leg of lamb. Combine with: Crusty bread spread with goat cheese. Use as: A seasoning for roast chicken (spread tapenade under the skin before cooking).

A tangy feta and yogurt sauce is the perfect foil for these fresh-tasting latkes. They make a nice starter for a party of ten.

The sauce for these cheese-based latkes, which are great for breakfast, can be made two days ahead. Be sure to serve the pancakes (enough for four people) as soon as they are made.

A sprinkling of cinnamon brings even more depth of flavor to the caramelized onions that garnish this exotic dish.

Chickpea fritters laced with rosemary are common in parts of France and Italy. For a terrific side dish that serves eight, top these latkes with a quick sauce made by stirring two tablespoons dried mint into one cup plain yogurt, and offer with fish. Or drizzle the latkes with pomegranate molasses (found at Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets), and serve with meat or poultry.