POTATO

Call it a "pot-a-toe" or a "pah-tot-oh," but don't call it boring. Donnell's Restaurant in Ponchatoula dresses its baked potato with Gulf shrimp and crawfish sautéed in a garlic-Parmesan cream and topped with a blend of cheeses. Kosher Cajun Deli and Grocery in Metairie pulls directly from its Kosher mission statement for traditional potato latkes with applesauce. Slim Goodies Diner Uptown takes a distinctly nontraditional approach to latkes with its "Jewish Coonass" breakfast combo, topping a pair of the potato cakes with spinach, eggs and crawfish etouffée. Chef Erik Veney makes a delicate potato gnocchi appetizer at Muriel's Jackson Square tossed with asparagus, wild mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Galatoire's Restaurant continues the Creole tradition of soufflé potatoes, those light-as-air pockets of hot and salty goodness. Potatoes are treated to another classic Creole preparation in Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse's Pontalba potatoes, combining diced and roasted potatoes with sautéed garlic, caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, ham and scallions. McAlister's Deli puts a southwestern spin on the baked potato with its Spud Olé, covered with chili (or vegetarian chili), cheddar, Swiss and sliced jalapeños and red onions on the side. The Super Duper lives up to its name at Spudly's Super Spuds, loaded with crabmeat, shrimp and crawfish plus cheese sauce, grated cheddar and chives. The same type of aromatic smoke that cooks the meats at the Texas Bar-B-Que Company works its magic on the smoked potato, a whole spud stuffed with chopped beef, barbeque sauce and melted cheese. The waffle-cut fries at Jigger's Bar and Grill prove especially effective at cradling the melted cheese and sauce with their chili cheese fries, while the Tavern's sweet potato fries bring a different type of potato to the game. Meanwhile, Parasol's Restaurant and Bar ups the ante by ladling its cheese fries with some of the roast beef gravy that has helped make the Irish Channel watering hole famous.

The potato taco from Barracks Street Café places scrambled eggs, salsa, cheese and potatoes in a flour tortilla. Dot's Great Grilled Hash Browns at Dot's Diner offer options of onions, cheese, ham, hot peppers and country gravy with your spuds. The "Awesome" Stuffed Potato from Verti Marte is the stuff of local legend. Café Beignet offers hash browns spiced up with andouille sausage and onions. At Wolfe's in the Warehouse, truffle tossed potato chips are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and chives and served with toasted black pepper leek cream.