The little black dress of sides

I look for certain specific things in my side dishes:

1. They need to be easy and hands-off (for the most part).
2. They need to be kid-friendly. I have 4 of my own, I feed nieces, nephews, clients' kids, neighbors' kids, friends' kids and kids' friends. They need to be kid-friendly.
3. They need to be versatile. Dress them up; dress them down. Serve them with with burgers or chicken fingers, serve them with scallops or NY sirloin.
4. Bonus points if they fit foods with different flavors: Mexican, Italian, Indian.

In short, I want a go-to side for every occasion, just like the little black dress. So, I was thrilled when I came across a recipe for Crispy No-Fry Fries in The Sneaky Chef cookbook. I've adapted it in so many ways I can't count. Steak fries, below, is my norm. New potatoes (great at this time of year!) cut into quarters so they're nice roasted potatoes that dressed up our lamb on Easter Sunday (please note, my sister who was hosting Easter doesn't like cornmeal, so we tried some without. Don't. They add the texture that's so important to the finished product.) Sweet potatoes (peel these first), and add a 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and a touch of curry with the olive oil, egg white, and salt. And as far as flavors go, the possibilities are limitless: Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning or 1/2 teaspoon each chili and cumin to the oil, egg white, and salt; or sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on with the cornmeal. What's your favorite? Work it in!

Bear in mind that the recipes call for you to keep the skin on when you cook these potatoes -- which is great, because that's where all the vitamins are (according to potatoes.com, 1 potato has 45% of the daily value for vitamin C and 620 mg potassium (comparable to bananas, spinach, and broccoli)). However, potatoes, when eaten with the skin on, are one of the "dirty dozen," fruits and vegetables that the US Department of Agriculture has found that, even after scrubbing, consistently contain higher levels of pesticides. So, it's a good idea to buy organic potatoes for this recipe.

Steak fries
serves 4

1 lb russet potatoes (for steak fries), new potatoes (for roasted potatoes), or sweet potatoes, peeled
1 large egg white
1 T olive oil
1 t kosher salt
1 T cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400°. For steak fries, cut each potato into halves, and then into thick slices; for roasted potatoes, cut into quarters.

Whisk together egg white, oil, salt (and any seasonings you might be using). Toss potatoes in a mixing bowl with egg white mixture.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place potatoes in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Dust with cornmeal (and Parmesan cheese, if using).

Bake 50 minutes, or until golden brown.