Squash or Pumpkin Tian from Laurie Colwin's More Home Cooking

Using either pumpkin, butternut or delicata squash, peel and seed the squash and cut it into one-inch chunks. Shake the chunks into a bag with some white flour. Shake off excess flour and scatter squash into an oiled or buttered shallow baking dish. Atop this scatter 1/3 cup of good parmesan (parmigiano reggiano is the one and only in my house), 1 large garlic clove, minced, and pepper to taste. Drizzle the tian with 1/4 to 1/3 good olive oil and put it into a PREHEATED 400º F oven. The over must be really hot, or the squash will not be the crispy-topped, molten dish which impresses all but a soggy mess. Bake the tian for 30-40 minutes.

Especially nice opposite some well-steamed broccoli rabe.

I wowed the folks at the New Year's Day party with this recipe from one of Jeanne Lemlin's Quick Vegetarian Pleasures cookbooks.

Sweet Potatoes Anna

Thinly slice 3 or so large sweet potatoes or yams (yams, the orange ones, are prettier but both are tasty). You want little rounds. Using a vegetable peeler is not a bad idea. Submerge these in cold water if they start to go black on you too quickly. Melt butter, about half a cup. Brush a little of this on the bottom of a pie pan--springform is best if you've got it. then create a nice spiraling layer of potato on the bottom. Atop this, brush more butter, a little nutmeg, and some freshly grated parmesan. I only use parmagiano reggiano, which is exquisite in this. Salt and pepper, if you like. Then do another layer of potato, and repeat until all ingredients are utilized.

Bake, covered in foil, for 45 minutes in a 425º degree oven, then uncover and bake about a half-hour, or till crusty and delicious looking.