Potatoes are one of those funny foods that are just as suited to a lazy Saturday breakfast at home as they are a gussied-up fine-dining menu. Now, how often can you say that? It's a special ingredient, indeed, that finds itself so universally appreciated. In other words, they're just plain yummy! Purists may prefer them straight out of a hot oven, but more adventurous eaters can slice, dice and souffle their way to a veritable high-end masterpiece.

Florida cook and restaurant owner Ed Grabusic learned this appeal first-hand when folks started buzzing about his Loaded Baked Potato Soup. What began out of necessity as a convenient way to use the restaurant's leftover baked potatoes, quickly became the talk of the town... and a signature dish for Ed and his restaurant! The recipe's simple ingredients combine to be so much more than the sum of its parts. How comforting to know that with a sprinkling of cheese and crispy bacon you, too, can create a soul-warming break to your day.

Now, Michigan gal Lynn McClean has taken her own loaded spud love and created a comforting casserole.

"I love potatoes," confesses Lynn. "I need to live in Idaho where they grow them!"

It seems to us that it's Lynn who may be able to a few Idahoans a thing or two! Her recipe for Mashed Potatoes... the Loaded Way is as simple or as complicated as you choose to make it. Think of it as giving regular, old mashed potatoes a daring face-lift. Stick to the bacon, cheese and sour cream Lynn suggests, or mix-it up with mix-ins of your own! Onion, peppers and jalapenos would all be terrific additions, so get creative and prepare wow even the pickiest of broods.

Something new and surprising to us in the Test Kitchen has been the many great recipes being shared for potato desserts! From cookies to cakes to candies, potatoes are popping up in the most unexpected (and delicious) places!

Elaine Brauda's Blue Ribbon Potato Chip Cookies are truly a child's dream treat! Combining the flavors of sweet brown sugar and honest-to-goodness salty potato chips, these cookies are decadent to their very core. Elaine tell us that her mom used to make them as an after school snack. Well, I can just imagine the smiles around that table!

Judy Few has also been creating smiles with a potato recipe gem of her own. Her sweet Irish Gems turn coconut, chocolate and leftover mashed potatoes (of all things!) into cravably delicious candy!

"[I've] been making these for 40 years," says Judy. "[They're a] big hit with coconut lovers!"

The flavor is very much like that of a favorite store-bought candy bar, but with the added goodness of being homemade. This recipe is tops in both flavor and ingenuity. Boy, oh boy, I don't recall when leftovers have ever tasted so good!

It's no wonder that potatoes have been such a big part of our culinary past. Whether cooked over a campfire or served on a silver platter, this humble food was clearly meant to be a star... All we have to do is choose a recipe and let 'em shine!