My roasted roots dish is always a big hit. I throw anything and everything that is a root into a pyrex baking pan. Variously colored potatoes, carrots, parsnips, yams, sweet potatoes, garlic, etc. I mix it all with olive oil and some salt and pepper. Bake at 350 or so until roasted (about 45 minutes, maybe longer depending upon size and oven).

I'll also add some beets just before it goes in the oven but don't mix them with everything else as the beet juice colors everything.

I put entire bulbs of garlic in for roasting as well.

There are probably more sophisticated recipes for this out there but this is something I wipped up once about 15 years ago and has been a huge hit every year since.

Chef Robin already hit my highlight, braised meats, but right this minute is a good time to find chanterelle mushrooms in the store, if not out in the forest your own self. These are pretty good sauteed in butter. They're also great as a topping on other things, like roasted Yukon Gold potatoes or pork chops.

Soup! Hearty white bean soup with lots of big vegetable chunks and greens; add flavoring of your choice (lemon juice for bracing sunny brightness, ham or bacon for smokiness if you're into that sort of thing, truffle oil/salt because, obviously.) Top with some garlic-rubbed toasts or fresh pasta. Asymmetrical sheets of pasta in soup are wonderfully pleasing, and good pasta is easy to make, especially in the small quantities needed for soup.

Butternut squash soup. Pumpkin soup. Acorn squash soup. You get the drift... any of these with coconut milk, ginger, cream, butter, roasted garlic, peanut butter, lime, cilantro, or some combo thereof.

Pho. Bring the elements separately to a potluck like when you get it to go (broth, noodles, veg, meat, etc).

Beet soup. Cabbage, onions, carrots, caraway, garlic, a little vinegar or lemon for brightness. Sour cream or yogurt to garnish. I like Brown Cow cream top the best of any yogurt that I've tried so far.

Potato pancakes (think latkes). Onions and shredded potatoes (or sweet potatoes with cilantro and garlic) fried and served with hot applesauce and cold yogurt or sour cream.

And, y'know what? Tuna noodle casserole with cream o' mushroom and lots of dill. I've never put pickles in it, but I think they belong.

And now I really have to go to bed.

Baked squash is my favorite! It's so easy to make...just chop in half, bake upside down with lots of butter until mostly done and then turn right side up and drizzle with 100% maple syrup. mmmmmmm....

Some of my favorite fall foods:

Mushroom risotto - a must with any Italian dinner. Any risotto is good in fall, but mushrooms really make it feel like it's that season.

Italian Wedding soup - make sure those meatballs have pork in them, because all-beef meatballs just aren't right.

Potatoes au gratin.

Lamb chops or rack of lamb. Probably not for a potluck or dinner party, unless you're a MS millionaire and the year is 1999.

Anything with winter squash. Pumpkin or butternut squash soup, butternut squash risotto, spaghetti squash gratin... yum.

Roasted root vegetables, as another Qlander has suggested.

I'm a big fan of the big ole Thanksgiving turkey meal and everything that is included. It always seems festive and comfy and goes great with Charlie Brown specials!

There is an awesome cornbread pudding in the Tom Douglass cookbook that I do every thanksgiving. It's awesome but like 60 percent cream and butter. Which is fine like twice a year but not weekly. But it is heavenly ( the cornbread has pepper jack in it so it's a bit zingy-er than plain corn bread) there is prob a version hanging out on the web or go to a bookstore and write down the essentials

My new favorite soup

http://www.marthastewart.com/316686/creamy-parsnip-soup?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/produce-guide-fall&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/parsnip-recipes