Sweet Potato

Potato pancakes get a makeover, and so do you! These have lots of vitamin A, which will help keep your skin healthy for the holidays.

Make this side dish a day or two ahead. On Thanksgiving, reheat it in the oven or microwave.

This spicy soup from Shawn McClain, chef at Green Zebra in Chicago, is rich in immunity-enhancing vitamin A.

The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Ananda spa in India. Darjeeling tea and herbs, including star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, flavor the smoked duck breast, which is served with nutrient-packed pears, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and blueberries. If you are watching calories and cholesterol, take a small portion of duck and fill the rest of your plate with the veggies and fruit. If you are following an Ayurvedic diet, the experts at Ananda recommend this for vata and pitta doshas. Be sure to start this recipe one day ahead.

If you've never had pale-fleshed Japanese sweet potatoes before, you'll be surprised by their subtler, drier flesh, which tastes unmistakably of chestnut. A bit of miso mixed into the scallion butter stealthily rounds out the interplay of sweet and umami that will have you eating all the way through to the last flaky remnants of skin.

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

A touch of fragrant honey in this dish complements the potatoes' inherent sweetness. Don't be afraid to roast them to a dark golden brown—the chewy caramelized edges will add flavor.

Here's a sweet potato casserole that will please everyone in the family, but isn't sticky or cloying. If your guests insist on a traditional marshmallow topping (let's admit that kids love it, and for some adults, it just isn't Thanksgiving without it), see the variation below.

The secret to the delicious (and easy) meringue? Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme. Trust us.

Using the pan drippings to sauté the vegetables allows the bacon's smokiness to permeate the whole dish. It's a striking complement to the sweet potatoes and red peppers. And don't fret about making too much—you won't have leftovers for long. The flavors will meld further and make for a terrific breakfast the next day.

This hearty soup gets rich flavor from linguiça, a delicious pork sausage from Portugal seasoned with garlic, paprika, and other spices. Spanish chorizo sausage is a great substitute.

Here's a mellow way to flavor this creamy and comforting Spanish custard dessert.

The intensity of hot mustard varies. Start with 1 teaspoon, then add more by 1/2 teaspoonfuls to taste. Hot English mustard is a good stand-in if Chinese is unavailable.

Mama Sugar says this dish was common at Juneteenth celebrations years ago but is now seldom seen. It's a homey dessert, substantial and rich with butter and cane syrup, and it deserves a comeback.

Here's a tropical chicken dish from cookbook author Daisy Martinez.