Q I had a potato dish once with chiles, lime and olive oil. Someone said it was from Peru. I remember it wasn't hot or cold; it was spicy, but not stinging hot. Do you have a recipe like this?

A Your description does sound Peruvian. The Peruvian Andina restaurant in Portland, Ore., serves something like it as a room-temperature starter. My takeoff on the idea goes like this. You could replace the sweet potato with red-skinned ones, if you like.

A good pan worth the investment Q I have a pan question for you. You constantly call for a 12-inch, straight-sided sauté pan in your recipes. I am finally ready to invest money in a pan I will use all the time. This one sounds like a good place to begin. What brand is your sauté pan? Is it easy to find?

A You're right. This is the pan that's in my kitchen sink nearly every night (a good way to know which pieces you use the most -- therefore, which are worth investing in). It gets used for everything from pan grilling, to sauces and pasta, to braises, to going into the oven as a roasting pan.

The single-most-important element in the pan is its thick aluminum outer layer that covers the bottom and comes up the sides. Aluminum is the heat conductor (ensuring even heat spread so you don't have hot spots that scorch your food), and you want your pan to have that metal coming up the sides. Never buy a pan with just a disc of metal at the bottom.

The interior is stainless steel so no food reacts with the metal. Lastly, the pan has one long heatproof handle that is riveted to the pan, and opposite is another round so the pan is easy to lift when full.

My pan is made by All-Clad. Its one fault is the handle's design -- it's too narrow and can twist in your hand, but the opposing handle helps you out of this situation.

Several other manufacturers make sauté pans like this, so look them over and then choose the one that is most comfortable for you. I've had mine 12 years -- count on passing your pan on to your children.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table" radio show from American Public Media, and is the co-author of "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper." To reach her, see www.splendidtable.org.