On potatoes
Here's a non-exhaustive list of things i like making with potatoes. But really, all you need is to mash some boiled potatoes, and add some salt and pepper, and you're good to go. The wiki list of potato dishes has more things that I haven't tried making yet. Also see this report on the humble potato from 2008, the international year of the potato.
South asian / Indian variations¶
- Vada pav
- Aloo Jeera
- Pav Bhaji
- Fried baby potatoes (something like this, also see Canarian wrinkly potatoes)
- Finger chips
- Dosa bhaji
- Dum aloo
- Poori / sukhi bhaji
- Batata Rassa Bhaji
- Kachryachi bhaji (tiny bits, stir-fried)
- Ragda pattice (also see the ecuadoran llapingacho and the persian saffron-infused kuku seemzamini)
- Karakari
- Urulaikazhangu Podimas
- Aloo tikki
- Achaari aloo
- Aloo poha
- chilly potato
- bombay frankie
- kati roll (see also ramsay's spicy potato breakfast pancake recipe)
- potato bhajji / aloo pakoda
Chinese¶
- todou si (with a bit more heat, or more clumpy)
- kung pao potato (another spicy recipe, and another one with more sauciness)
- cumin chili home fries
French¶
- Lyonnaise
- Fondant
- au gratin
- others like boulangerie potatoes, parmentier potatoes, Pommes Anna and Pommes dauphine have equivalents in other parts of this list
Greek¶
- Lemon potatoes (NYT recipe)
Swedish¶
German¶
- Kartoffelklöße (potato dumplings) recipe
- Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes, similar to latkes)
- also this
Korean¶
- Caramelized Kimchi Baked Potatoes
- Gamjajeon (also potato pancakes)
- Gamjajorim (braised/simmered in soy, rice vinegar, gochuraru)
- potato and gochujang braised eggs
Italian¶
Spain¶
Swiss¶
Diner food¶
- Home fries
- Hash browns
- Loaded baked potatoes (e.g. with cauliflower and cheese)
- Loaded tater tots
Breads¶
- Aloo paratha
- potato bun
- potato brioche (from a full potato meal by parmentier found in this thread)
- fluffy potato rolls
- cheese potato bread made in a pan
- norwegian Lomper (another recipe)
At home¶
- Fried potatoes
- pan-fried coins
- or in an air fryer
- battered balls like arancini (also see croquettes below)
- or with soy, rice vinegar, garlic and peppers
- powdered japanese potatoes (kofuki imo)
- or with a sweet sugar glaze (daigaku imo)
- with berbere
- Mashed potatoes
- tres leches mashed potatoes (using milk, evaporated milk, and buttermilk)
- chantilly potatoes (using whipped cream, or maybe a white cheddar/gruyere)
- or boursin
- colcannon (irish dish incorporating greens)
- another few dozen variations here
- Roasted potatoes (NYT again)
- Baked potatoes (so many recipes, you can bake them once, twice, or many times)
- Scalloped potatatoes (also this)
- Smashed potatoes
- Potato soup
- e.g. this hungarian krumlileves recipe
- Baked potato puffs
- making fries at home (epicurious video)
Other (things i don't necessarily make at home or make often)¶
- potato on a stick / twist potato (apparently its popular in australia? the best alt name is rotato potato)
- potato wedges
- muffin pan potato wedges
- refried with spices and peppers, e.g. this
- is this a jojo reference?
- Latkes also see the irish boxty or the placki ziemniaczane
- potato kugel
- Samosas
- Aloo 65
- Aloo posto and aloo chokha (haven't made this in forever but it is a fond memory)
- potato pizza (don't make this at home, because its difficult to match some of the best takes on this i've eaten - in ooty, tokyo, milan, and new haven)
- Duchess potatoes- don't know why anyone would put in so much effort to make potatoes not look like potatoes but they taste great
- Knishes
- Kopytka and other pierogies / varenyky
- this brown butter potatoes recipe is similar to one i make
- Potato doughnut aka Spudnut
- Poutine
- Tater tots
- potato salad
- papas arrugadas (potatoes cooked in seawater from the canary islands)
- ethiopian atakilt wat
- potato noodles (also this)
- baked potato skins (another nyt recipe)
- croquettes (or korokke if you're in japan or have panko that you need to use)
- Lebanese batata harra (another recipe)
Dessert¶
- Chocolate mashed potato cake with ganache
- Potato candy
- Potato chip cookies
- Mashed potato truffles
- the idaho potato commission has recipes for a pound cake, cookies, potato pudding, donuts and a sorbet
Theory¶
-
What kind of potatoes to use for different dishes?
- what's eating Dan video on the basics
-
sweet and starchy - fiber content - amylose (rigid, crystalline structures) and amylopectin (softer, gel-like textures) - young and old - peel earthiness - the case for baby potatoes - the case against baby potatoes - temperature effects - cold vs hot mashing - overworking - resistant starch created by cooling and reheating - twice-frying, blanching and the high-temp finish - maillard reactions in browning - acid and discoloration - when to salt, based on moisture content and intended texture - rinsing - sprouting and toxicity
-
tl;dr - mealy potatoes like russets, idahos and some sweet potatoes have a high starch-to-water ratio, giving a fluffier texture when deep fried or baked, but fall apart when baked. make sure not to harass them too much during prep, since that can destroy the cell walls and lead to a dense congealed final dish. waxy potatoes (a lot of new potatoes, fingerlings) have a high water-to-starch ratio, and create a moist, more dense texture when boiled. yukon gold potatoes are a bit of an all-rounder, and are especially suited for mashing
- Can we make ratatouille with potatoes? something like this?
- You might notice that I have not included a lot of pairings on this list. In the indian context, this would be dishes like aloo gobi or aloo mutter, in soups and loaded potatoes this can be adding things like bacon or the classic broccoli-cheddar-potato soup, or even dishes like shepherd's pie. This is because reasons.
- also see the potato atlas
Total: 9
p.s. Sweet potatoes are not potatoes. Please stop.
p.p.s. Chips/crisps are not on this list. This is not an oversight.