Rachael has already shared tons of holiday recipes for your big meals ... and she's not stopping there! She wants to be sure you are confident to get cooking, so she's taking calls from supermarket shoppers and answering their last-minute menu concerns!

A lot of holiday recipes call for potatoes, but there are so many kinds, how do I know which to use? "Russets are great for oven fries; I like to get like a 10-cut potato if I'm going to make some big steak fries to go along with a prime rib or a steak dinner," Rachael says. "But if you're going to make potato salad to go to somebody's house, I find that the starchier potatoes really break down, they soak up the dressing ... so I always go for a waxier, smaller potato ... If you're doing roasted potatoes you can really go with anything that's on sale."

So many side dishes for the holidays are starchy. Is there a way to incorporate healthier veggies into the holiday meal? "People find any vegetable hearty and satisfying as long as it's got some element that they associate with being rich, so instead of doing potatoes gratin you could do green beans or cauliflower or broccoli gratin - put a little cheese sauce on anything and people will be like, 'Wow, that's fabulous!'"

I always make Italian recipes and my grandmother taught me to use fresh garlic, but I'm wondering if I can swap the whole garlic for minced garlic in a jar to save time? "If you've been using fresh chopped garlic all your life, I think that you'll find the flavor different enough that you would notice. I recommend during this holiday season a couple of things: You can peel up a bunch of garlic, keep it in an airtight jar, have it in the fridge and it's already prepped so you can just chop it. Or, you can use these little hand graters, these are terrific; they sell them at all the kitchen stores. They're made by Microplane® ... it grates the garlic, which is quicker than chopping. When the holidays are over, that's a time when you're just cooking for yourself or your family - give it a shot ... see if you like the flavor of the [garlic that is] already chopped."

Got a question for Rach? E-mail us and check the Ask Rach section for answers!

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