Way to Go, Idaho

Although many new varieties of potatoes with intriguing names like Peruvian Purple and Yukon Gold can be found in my market, sometimes I prefer the comfort and simplicity of a plain baked Idaho Russet.

Topped with a hearty red sauce of canned Italian plum tomatoes, cooked until thick with spicy Italian sausage, a plain baked potato makes an easy-to-assemble, satisfying meal.

Before I begin the rest of the meal, I put the potatoes in the oven. To speed up the baking time, I use aluminum “baking” nails, each about 4 inches long; you stick one nail about halfway into each potato. Potatoes can also be cooked in the microwave, but because the microwave cooks by moist heat rather than dry, the microwaved potato is not as fluffy as an oven-baked one. Since I prefer a fluffy potato, I usually bake the potatoes in a hot oven when I have the time.

Then I make my standard old-fashioned red sauce. First, the onions and garlic are cooked in olive oil, then the tomatoes and lightly browned sausage are added. While the sauce simmers, the potatoes bake. Dinner is ready in less than an hour of mostly unattended cooking time.

Along with the potato, serve steamed broccoli spears dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice.

While the oven is on, prepare the baked pears in red wine syrup. Right now, Bosc pears are abundant and inexpensive. This pear recipe is extremely simple, and the result is really quite elegant.

Simmons is the author of “A to Z Pancakes” (Chapters/Houghton Mifflin, 1997).

BAKED POTATOES WITH RED SAUCE (UNDER AN HOUR)

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, or combination

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes with juice

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 baked potatoes

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

This sauce is also good served over cooked rice or pasta.

Remove sausage from casings and saute in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, using wooden spoon to break up pieces, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to plate or bowl and set aside.

Discard any fat in skillet. Add olive oil and onion and cook, stirring, over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes to skillet, breaking up with side of spoon. Add tomato sauce and heat, stirring, over high heat until boiling. Add reserved sausage and oregano and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon over baked potatoes. Top with grated cheese.

4 servings. Each serving:

665 calories; 1,604 mg sodium; 74 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 2.77 grams fiber.

BAKED PEARS (LOW-FAT)

2 cups dry red wine

1/2 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 firm Bosc pears

Combine wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and vanilla in 9-inch round pie plate and stir to blend.

Cut thin slice from bottom of pears so they stand upright. Stand pears in wine mixture and spoon some over each pear.

Bake at 400 degrees, basting frequently with wine sauce as it thickens, until pears are tender, 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with wine sauce spooned over each serving.

4 servings. Each serving:

274 calories; 9 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 2.33 grams fiber.