Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

@gwenkern I like the potatoes small, but I also really like to use my knife. I think it's more important to keep them small if you're adding beans. But, of course, it's potato salad, so cut them whatever size you like and just roast longer if need be.

@arindaadam I would like to officially endorse the yogurt option. Wish I'd thought of that.

@Nickiter You must've gotten a bad one. When they're good, they are extremely crisp and full of subtle flavors. Hope you'll try again!

Oh MY. I only know Faicco's from the amazing ingredients that make their way to my Grandma's house. That sunset sandwich might necessitate a separate trip.

@njscrapdiva If you have a food mill, you can definitely use the disc with the medium or large holes to make a chunky sauce from this recipe.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I'm definitely going to continue preheating for baking but may play around with roasting from a cold oven.

On a related note, since we get a lot of our meat frozen from a CSA, I've been learning about roasting and braising directly from the freezer. It really does work. This impressively scientific eGullet thread clued me in, and I've done it a few times now with good results. Environmentalists, try to refrain from murdering me in my sleep, please.

I think the preheating conversation is more complicated than yes or no and deserves more space, so I've moved it over to a Talk thread here. Chime in!

I just discovered delicata a few years ago, too, when it showed up in our CSA haul. We (including the kids!) like it just as you said, simply roasted. I always think of the beautiful crescent shape of the slices as true to their namesake.

I'll leave the training plan to the experts here, but by way of motivation, after a month or so of weights you'll be amazed how much easier and more fun squash and biking will become. You'll feel like a superhero. Losing weight will be an incidental benefit.

Hey @njscrapdiva You could totally use veggie stock, and it would be fine without the anchovies. Hope he likes it!

@bkbella That's so lovely about your grandma. Mine's Italian, too. It's in the blood.

@piccola @feistyfoodie Yes, rinds of good cheese are a fabulous dirty trick for enriching soups and tomato sauces. The reason I didn't do that here is because the soup only simmers for ten minutes, and I wasn't sure that would be enough time to break it down. Maybe it is, though. I'm all for frugality where it works.

This is all very interesting about the soup smells. Maybe there's a chance for me and Juno after all. I could be okay with hating on powdered soup as long as the secret love of my life Lipton Onion Dip is excepted. And I'm no extraordinary fan of, shall we say, cruciferous odors either. Yeah, maybe we're okay. Juno, I love you, man.

@johnandrewwalsh Thanks! I think an immersion blender would work okay if you smashed up the pistachios a bit with a hammer first. A mortar and pestle would definitely work, too.

@catalparidge I'm so thrilled you're reading this! For farmers, you guys sure do know your way around the internet. :)

@shr1mpch1p I made something very similar to what you described for dinner last night, and it was delicious. Thank you!

@jbeach And now I want that for dinner tonight. Good thing I have all these hairy gourds in my fridge.

@awoodard That sounds like an awfully good solution, too!

@lemonfair You sound like a candidate for a winter's worth of tomatillo salsa! I like this recipe from Gourmet, which is easy to double (or quintuple or what have you) and also freezes beautifully for many months.