Hasselback potatoes never fail to get a "wow" at the dinner table. These accordion-shaped potatoes are lovely to look at, and a basting method while roasting ensures that flavor permeates the potato and crisps all the fine edges. Any potato can be prepared this way, including sweet potatoes, which may be the most striking presentation, since they fan out to reveal their orange jeweled flesh while roasting.

To make Hasselback sweet potatoes, choose long, relatively stable and straight potatoes. The key is to cut as many thin slices as possible, crosswise, along the length of the potato. To do this -- without a wayward potato rolling across your cutting board -- slice a sliver of each potato lengthwise along its base to stabilize it on a work surface and in the baking dish to prevent any wobbling or tilting. Then, place the potato on a work surface with a thin cutting board snugged up on either side of it. With a sharp knife, make narrow incisions crosswise in the potato, approximately 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick. The cutting boards will prevent the knife from cutting through the base of the potato. If a few bits break off, no worries; just continue to slice them if you can.

Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish and brush them with the spiced oil, making sure that the oil dribbles between all the crevices. Transfer to the oven and roast, basting once or twice if desired. When sweet potatoes roast, they will soften first before they begin to crisp. The potatoes are ready as soon as they are tender. If you decide to cook them longer to further crisp and char them, note that the interiors will be very soft.

Now, a word about a sweet potato’s, well, sweetness: In addition to a being a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, these roots have a notable helping of starch. When heated during the cooking process, the starch converts to maltose, or sugar, which delivers and amplifies the potato’s sweetness. I like to balance this notable sweetness with spices and fresh herbs, which rein in any rowdy sweetness and round out the flavors of the dish.

These potatoes make a wonderful and decorative side dish. For more embellishment, sprinkle crumbled cheese, such as cotija, or crisp bacon bits over the potato and call it a meal.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

4 medium-large sweet potatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for finishing

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for finishing

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives or mint

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a very thin slice lengthwise from the bottom of each potato to stabilize it. Cut each potato crosswise, as thinly as possible (1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick slices), to about 1/4-inch from the bottom without piercing the base. Place in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.

Whisk the oil, salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and pepper in a small bowl. Liberally brush the potatoes all over and in the crevices with the oil.

Transfer the potatoes to the oven and roast until they are tender and beginning to crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes. Baste once or twice with the oil, if desired.

Remove from the oven and season with additional salt and pepper. Garnish with the fresh herbs. Serve warm.

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For many, the artichoke is confounding. While considered a delicacy in Mediterranean and Californian cuisine, for the uninitiated, figuring out how to unearth its prized heart can be a mystery.

The artichoke is the bud of a thistle. The leaves cover a hairy center, or choke, perched over the meaty heart, which is the artichoke’s culinary treasure. It takes a little bit of work, admittedly, but once you understand the do’s and don’ts of trimming and cooking an artichoke, it’s a breeze, if not a sport.

Large or globe artichokes can grow to the size of a small melon. They are often green; if you are lucky, in the springtime you can snag beautiful purple artichokes. The flavor difference between green and purple artichokes is subtle; purple artichokes are slightly heartier and earthier in flavor, but the distinction is minimal.

The outer leaves of an artichoke are tough and inedible, but the underlying leaves are more tender with a layer of meat. The meat on the base of the inner leaves can be scraped off with your teeth when you eat.

Clearly, none of this is intuitive.

Steaming artichokes is the easiest and healthiest method of preparation, and the best bet for retaining their subtle flavor (if you boil them, they will be watery). To prepare, you need to trim the artichoke first. As you trim, be sure to rub all the cut parts with lemon juice to prevent discoloration, which happens quickly. Begin at the base or stem; cut it off, leaving about 1/2-inch intact. Using a serrated knife, cut about 1 inch off the top. Again, rub all the cut parts with lemon. Then pull off and discard the tough outer leaves at the base and sides of the artichoke. Using kitchen scissors, cut the pointy tips of the remaining leaves (this is both for appearance and to prevent nicking when you handle the artichoke -- it’s a thistle, after all). Rub again with lemon.

Place the artichoke in a steamer filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Squeeze the rest of the lemon over the artichoke and in the water, then throw the lemon into the steamer with the artichoke. If you like, you can add a few crushed garlic cloves or a bay leaf to the water. (I often do this to feel more chef-y, but frankly, I have yet to discern any distinct flavor from this step.)

Steam the artichoke until the base is tender -- but not too soft or mushy -- when pierced with a knife, and the leaves easily pull away. This could take anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. Yes, it’s vague, but once you’ve done this once or twice, you’ll have a feel for your preferred level of doneness.

Remove the artichoke from the steamer and cool to the touch. If serving the artichoke as is, present it whole and let everyone do the leaf-pulling. A layer of meat will be at the base of the leaves and should be scraped off with your teeth. Serve with a dipping sauce, such as an aioli or a vinaigrette. Keep nibbling on the leaves until the softest, flappiest leaves remain. You can pull them all out together at this point to expose the hairy choke.

Using a spoon, scoop out and discard all the bits of the choke to unearth the meaty prize: the heart. You can then tussle over how to divide the heart between yourselves. (Note that the choke in large artichokes is inedible and must be removed. However, in baby artichokes, the choke is relatively unformed and can be eaten -- but that’s for another recipe.)

Artichoke hearts are a key ingredient in this dip, so the entire preparation must be done in advance. When the leaves are pulled away, reserve them for eating the dip. To serve, dip the leaves into the dip and scrape the meat from the leaves with your teeth. You can also serve the dip with crudites.

This recipe is inspired by a recipe from Ocean Mist Farm.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 purple or green artichokes

1 lemon, halved

1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained

Juice and zest of one untreated lemon (divided)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Dash or two of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

Using a serrated knife, cut off the stems of the artichokes, leaving about 1/2-inch intact. Cut about 1 inch off the tops of the artichokes. Peel away the outer leaves. Rub the artichokes with a lemon half. Place in a steamer filled with about 1 inch of water. Squeeze the remaining juice from the lemon halves into the steamer and add the lemons. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, and steam until the leaves easily pull away from the artichokes, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on size of the artichokes.

Remove the artichokes from the steamer and cool to the touch. Peel away the sturdy leaves and reserve. Remove the soft inner leaves and discard. With a small spoon, scoop out the chokes and discard, leaving the hearts exposed. Dice the hearts and place in a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

Spoon the dip into a bowl. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest. Serve with the reserved artichoke leaves for dipping. As you eat the dip, scrape the remaining meat on the leaves with your teeth, which will amplify the artichoke flavor of the dip.

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In the contrarian spirit of fixing something when it is not broken, this recipe gives the ever-popular hummus a makeover. Hummus is a creamy Levantine dip consisting of pureed chickpeas, tahini, olive oil and lemon. It’s agreeably mild-mannered and versatile and a go-to for dips, spreads and snacks.

Hummus is also wonderfully accommodating to embellishment and bling, such as the addition of pureed root vegetables and tubers, including beets and carrots -- or in this case, sweet potatoes. These extra ingredients add oomph to the flavor and an infusion of color to the undeniably beige hummus, painting it in shades of fuchsia, ochre and green, depending on the accessory, thus transforming the ubiquitous spread into a vibrant flavor- and nutrient-packed dip that begs for a good swipe.

This hummus is indeed a looker. Orange sweet potato ramps up its color and lends a sweet, nutty note to the chickpea blend. You can steam the sweet potato to soften it; however, roasting is preferable, because it will coax out the natural sugars in the root vegetable and add little nicks of char and caramel to the dip. Since the potato is naturally sweet, fresh lime juice and a generous sprinkle of seasoning and salt serve to balance the flavor. Taste the dip as you make it, and feel free to tinker to your preference. Serve the hummus with a kaleidoscope of crudites, pita wedges and chips for dipping.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Active time: 10 minutes

Total time: 40 to 50 minutes

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

2 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon Sriracha, or to taste

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Halve the potatoes lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with oil. Place the sweet potatoes, cut sides down, in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast until soft, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and cool to the touch, then peel away and discard the skin.

Place the sweet potato and the remaining hummus ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. If too thick, add warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to achieve your desired consistency. Taste for seasoning.

Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil over and garnish with chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro or mint, and chopped pistachios. Serve with pita bread and crudites.

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