Potato side dishes are some of the most versatile in the home kitchen. They're inexpensive; they can act as both a side and a starch, which gives you an incredible degree of flexibility; and they can be made in an infinitude of ways, so it's worth taking a look at 20 ways the humble spud can be taken to new heights.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Hash browns are hardly fine dining, but sometimes they really do scratch that nostalgic itch. If you're feeling it and you want something other than the classic frozen hash browns roasted in the oven, a cheesy hash brown casserole is an old-school favorite that will bring out your inner '60s housewife.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Brown some of the potato shreds before sour cream and cheddar turn them into a casserole. Those darker strands give the soft filling something to work against, even without a crumb topping. A wide oven-safe skillet handles the browning and the final bake, but don't try to crowd all the potatoes into the first batch. Squeeze thawed hashbrowns firmly, cook them in two rounds and keep the cheese sauce off the burner while you fold everything together. The finished spoonful should be creamy between recognizable shreds, with golden patches across the surface and enough tang that another heavy sauce on the plate would be unnecessary.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Squeeze thawed potatoes in a clean towel until they stop dripping, separating compacted shreds afterward.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Spread half the potatoes loosely in the pan, cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the underside browns and turn in sections for 3 minutes; transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining oil and potatoes.
- Reduce the heat to medium, melt butter in the same skillet and cook onion for 5 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk sour cream, milk, salt, pepper and 6 ounces cheddar together. Fold this mixture and the cooked onion into the potatoes, then return everything to the skillet and spread evenly without packing it down.
- Scatter remaining cheddar over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling in the center and golden in patches. Rest for 10 minutes before scooping.
Cracker Barrel-Style Hashbrown Casserole
I can't say I'm a huge fan of Cracker Barrel (bad memories of family road trips), but at the same time this is a dang solid approach. Hash browns from scratch form the core, and the addition of Colby cheese makes this a casserole that punches above its humble origins.
Don't lose these recipes! Drop your email and we'll send them to you, so you've got them handy the next time you're planning dinner.
Cracker Barrel-Style Hashbrown Casserole
Fresh potatoes and Colby give this Cracker Barrel-style casserole its own route to the familiar soft, cheesy side. It's an original home recipe, not the restaurant's formula. Parboil the whole potatoes just enough to soften their outer layers, chill them and grate once they can hold a clean shred. The brief evaporated-milk sauce gets its body from cornstarch, so there is no canned soup or sour-cream layer to weigh it down. Plan for the cooling time instead of grating warm potatoes into a sticky pile, then bake until a knife meets no firm strands in the center and the exposed edges have started to brown.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover whole potatoes with cold water by 1 inch in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the outer flesh yields to a knife but the centers remain firm; drain, cool for 10 minutes and refrigerate in a shallow dish for 45 minutes until easy to handle and firm enough to grate.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Peel cooled potatoes and grate on the large holes of a box grater, keeping the shreds loose. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
- Melt remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook onion for 5 minutes. Whisk evaporated milk, broth and cornstarch together, pour into the pan and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until gently bubbling and slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 6 ounces Colby, salt and pepper. Fold the sauce through the fresh potato shreds and spread in the prepared dish; scatter remaining Colby over the top.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the center bubbles and a knife slides through the shreds without a firm catch. Cover loosely if the top browns before the potatoes soften, then rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Funeral Potatoes
Introducing funeral potatoes, the Utah Mormon community's best-known contribution to the global culinary landscape. A homemade celery cream sauce works so much better than the classic canned cream of celery soup, but the cornflake topping is non-negotiable.
Funeral Potatoes
The cornflake lid is the point of funeral potatoes, so butter the crushed flakes evenly and keep them out of the filling. Underneath, fresh red-potato cubes sit in a homemade celery cream sauce with sour cream and cheddar. Boil the cubes only until just tender, drain them thoroughly and fold gently so the dish stays spoonable rather than turning into mashed potatoes. This takes a little more stovetop work than opening a can, but you control the sauce before it reaches the oven and can stop while it is still loose enough to coat every cube.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-by-13-inch dish with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Cover potato cubes with cold water by 1 inch, add cooking salt, bring to a simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until just tender; drain and let steam escape for 3 minutes.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook celery and onion for 6 minutes until soft. Stir in flour for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in milk and broth and simmer for 3 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Remove the sauce from heat and stir in sour cream, cheddar, sauce salt and pepper. Fold through the drained potato cubes and spread evenly in the dish.
- Melt the remaining butter and toss with the crushed cornflakes until evenly coated. Scatter over the potatoes in a loose layer.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the center bubbles and the cornflakes are golden. Cover loosely if the flakes darken early, then rest for 10 minutes before scooping.
Scalloped Potatoes
At their best, scalloped potatoes are one of the world's great side dishes. In this recipe, a bit of leek adds just enough greenness and just enough bite to add some balance to the rich layers of potato and creamy sauce.
Scalloped Potatoes
Give thin potato slices a head start in the cream before they reach the baking dish. This version uses soft leeks and the potatoes' own starch to thicken the sauce, with no cheese or flour. Stir gently during the simmer so the bottom doesn't catch and the rounds keep their shape. Once the dish leaves the oven, let the layers settle before lifting a spoonful; bubbling cream is too loose to judge while it is still racing around the edges.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a shallow 2-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Drain washed leek slices very well.
- Melt remaining butter in a wide heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook leek for 7 minutes until soft without browning. Add cream, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring just to a simmer.
- Add the freshly sliced potatoes without rinsing away their starch. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, lifting and turning the slices carefully, until the sauce lightly thickens and the outer edges of the potatoes soften.
- Transfer potatoes and cream to the baking dish, spreading the slices into even layers. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and a thin knife slides easily through the center. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Potatoes au Gratin
Anything, potato or vegetable, as a gratin is bound to get my attention. This recipe uses muffin tins, ensuring maximum surface area and therefore a maximum of crispy, cheesy edge pieces.
Potatoes au Gratin
Small cheddar potato stacks give everyone browned edges without requiring a fight over the corners of a casserole. A muffin pan holds the thin slices upright while a little cream cooks between them. Choose slender potatoes that fit the wells and slice them evenly, because a thick piece in the middle can stay firm after the cheese browns. Cover the pan for the first part of baking so the potatoes steam, then uncover for the crisp finish. Let the stacks rest before loosening them with a thin spatula; pulling at hot cheese straight from the oven is how an intact little gratin becomes a pile of separate rounds.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter all 12 wells of a standard metal muffin pan generously with the measured butter.
- Slice potatoes 1/16 inch thick with a guarded mandoline or sharp knife. Mix cream, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then turn the slices through the mixture to coat.
- Fill the wells halfway with stacked potato rounds, add half the cheddar evenly and finish with remaining potato slices. Divide all loose cream from the bowl among the wells and scatter remaining cheddar over the stacks.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges brown and a knife slips through each stack easily.
- Rest for 10 minutes, loosen the sides with a thin spatula and lift out carefully. Serve 2 stacks per person.
Twice-Baked Potatoes
When I was young, most people bought twice-baked potatoes pre-made at the butcher counter, but they're actually pretty easy to make at home. The addition of broccoli here provides both flavor and textural contrast to the creamy mash.
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Broccoli and smoked Gouda belong inside the fluffy filling, not balanced over a closed baked potato. Scoop the cooked russets while they are still warm enough to mash, leaving a thin wall so each skin can carry its second bake. Steam and chop the broccoli before folding it in; raw florets stay too firm inside the soft center. The filling should mound above the rim without spilling onto the pan. A short uncovered return to the oven melts the Gouda and puts a light crust on the ridges, while the potato shell keeps enough structure to lift with a fork.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Pierce potatoes several times, rub with oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bake directly on the rack for 55 to 65 minutes until a skewer slides through easily. Cool for 10 minutes and lower the oven to 375°F.
- Steam broccoli over simmering water for 4 to 5 minutes until tender, drain well and chop finely. Cut each potato lengthwise in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch wall inside each skin.
- Mash warm potato flesh with butter, warm milk, sour cream, remaining salt and pepper. Fold in broccoli and 4 ounces Gouda without beating the potatoes smooth.
- Set the 8 shells on a rimmed sheet and divide filling evenly among them, mounding it gently. Scatter remaining Gouda over the filling.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until hot throughout and lightly browned on the ridges. Rest for 3 minutes and serve one filled half per person.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
As a kid, I used to love mixing up my baked potato with as much sour cream, shredded cheese, and chives as it could take. The loaded mashed potato takes this concept to the limit, adding bacon for extra richness, and it could even be a meal unto itself.
Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Bake the russets before making this loaded mash, then crisp a few pieces of their skins while the warm flesh meets sour cream, bacon and cheddar. The oven keeps extra water out of the potatoes, so add warm milk gradually instead of assuming they need every drop at once. Fold gently and leave a little texture; heavy mixing won't make a better bowl. The crisp skin pieces go on at serving, where they keep their bite against the creamy center instead of disappearing during a long hold.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Pierce potatoes several times, rub with 1 teaspoon oil and bake directly on the rack for 60 to 70 minutes until completely tender. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Drain and crumble.
- Split hot potatoes and scoop flesh into a warm bowl. Cut the skins from 2 potato halves into short strips, toss with remaining oil and bake on a rimmed sheet for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp; reserve other skins for another use.
- Mash the warm flesh with butter, then fold in warm milk gradually, sour cream, cheddar, salt, pepper and half the bacon until spoonable and the cheese softens. Avoid a mixer or food processor.
- Transfer to a warm serving bowl and add remaining bacon, the measured scallions and crisp skin pieces just before serving.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Garlic is a natural addition to mashed potatoes, with its pungent aroma expressed beautifully by the subtler flavors of the potato. Cultured buttermilk does a lot of heavy lifting here, adding a tang.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roast a whole head of garlic until the cloves squeeze from their skins, then mash them into steamed Yukon Gold potatoes with butter and buttermilk. The garlic tastes mellow enough to spread through the bowl instead of leaving sharp raw pockets. Steaming keeps the potatoes from taking on as much surface water as a rolling boil, but they still need to be fully tender before you reach for the masher. Warm the buttermilk gently and fold it in at the end. Boiling it hard or beating the finished potatoes only makes this simple side less pleasant, with grainy dairy in the first case and sticky mash in the second.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut 1/4 inch from the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves, drizzle with oil, wrap loosely in foil and roast for 40 to 45 minutes until the cloves are soft and golden. Cool for 5 minutes and squeeze the cloves into a bowl.
- Meanwhile, place potato chunks in a steamer basket over 1 inch of simmering water. Cover and steam for 20 to 25 minutes until the largest piece breaks easily under a fork, checking the pan does not boil dry.
- Warm buttermilk gently in a small saucepan over low heat until just warm; keep it below a simmer. Transfer hot potatoes to a dry bowl.
- Mash potatoes with roasted garlic and butter by hand until no large chunks remain. Fold in warm buttermilk a little at a time with salt and white pepper until fluffy and spoonable.
- Transfer to a warm serving bowl and serve immediately, smoothing the surface with a spoon rather than beating the potatoes.
Roasted Red Potatoes
Roasted red potatoes are a best-of-both-worlds kind of dish. You get the softness and the creamy interior that comes with boiling, the crispy brown edges of roasting, and the herbs and spices can easily be modified to taste.
Roasted Red Potatoes
A short parboil softens red potatoes before their cut faces meet a hot sheet pan, giving you browned undersides without a leathery skin. Drain them well, keep the halves cut-side down for most of the roast and add the lemon juice afterward so it brightens the finished potatoes without wetting the crust during browning.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F with a bare rimmed sheet pan on the middle rack. Put potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch, add cooking salt and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes after the water begins bubbling, until the outside softens but the center still resists slightly.
- Drain potatoes well and let steam escape for 3 minutes. Toss gently with oil, seasoning salt, oregano, garlic powder and pepper.
- Carefully arrange the potatoes cut-side down on the hot pan with space between them. Roast without turning for 25 minutes.
- Turn the potatoes and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more until fully tender and deeply golden underneath.
- Transfer to a bowl, toss lightly with lemon zest and juice and serve immediately while the browned surfaces are still crisp.
Potato Wedges
Potato wedges are a great way to use an air fryer to its maximum potential. Yes, you can make them on the stovetop, but it can also be messy and finicky. Paprika and garlic are the classic spices here, but you have a lot of freedom to modify the specs.
Potato Wedges
Soak the cut wedges, dry them thoroughly and give the air fryer room to move hot air around each piece. A crowded basket makes soft potatoes with a few browned tips, even if the timer says they are done. Paprika and garlic powder cling to a small amount of oil, while the skin helps each wedge hold its shape when you turn it. Work in two batches and keep the first warm in a low oven. The potatoes should bend slightly when pressed at the thick end but stay crisp along their thinner edges, without flour or a thick breaded coating hiding the cut.
Ingredients
Method
- Cut each potato lengthwise into 8 even wedges. Cover with cold water in a bowl and soak for 20 minutes, then drain and dry every surface thoroughly with a clean towel.
- Heat the air fryer to 400°F and the oven to 200°F for holding. Toss wedges with oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder and pepper.
- Arrange half the wedges in a single layer in a 5-quart or larger air-fryer basket, leaving small gaps. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Turn wedges and cook for 10 to 14 minutes more until browned on the edges and a fork passes through the thickest part easily. Transfer to a rack on a sheet pan in the warm oven.
- Repeat with remaining wedges, adjusting the last few minutes to their thickness. Serve both batches promptly, about 4 wedges per person.
German Potato Salad
Warm salads are such an underrated class of dishes, and German potato salad is a long-time favorite. The smoky, fatty bacon and the tart mustard vinaigrette work great in tandem and are even better with a tall glass of good German beer.
German Potato Salad
Warm potato rounds take up a sharp bacon-and-vinegar dressing while their centers are still tender enough to absorb it. Keep the simmer gentle so the red skins stay attached, then slice once the potatoes are cool enough to hold. Cook the onion in a measured amount of bacon fat rather than pouring every drop from the pan into the salad. The dressing should taste lively before it meets the potatoes, because their starch softens the edge quickly. Fold with a broad spoon and stop once the slices are coated; repeated stirring breaks them into a thick mash instead of leaving the soft rounds you want.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover whole potatoes with cold water by 1 inch, add cooking salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until a knife enters easily, then drain and cool for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate and retain 2 tablespoons fat in the pan, discarding excess.
- Cook onion in the retained fat for 4 minutes until soft. Add vinegar, broth, Dijon, sugar, dressing salt and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to combine.
- Cut warm potatoes into 1/4-inch rounds, halving large rounds if needed. Add them to the skillet with the bacon and fold gently over low heat for 2 minutes until coated.
- Remove from the heat, rest for 5 minutes so the potatoes absorb some dressing and serve warm.
Classic Potato Salad
Who doesn't love potato salad at a picnic? Personally, I go for a fairly low-mayonnaise version because I really want to taste the potato, but that really is up to taste. What is crucial, however, is the rest time, one hour is a bare minimum.
Classic Potato Salad
Cool the potatoes before adding mayonnaise, but give the warm cubes their measured spoonful of vinegar first so the seasoning reaches past the surface. Chopped egg, celery and a little sweet relish keep this firmly in classic picnic-salad territory, with a cold resting period that matters as much as the short boil.
Ingredients
Method
- Place eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat and stand for 12 minutes, then cool in ice water for 5 minutes, peel and chop.
- Meanwhile, cover potato cubes with cold water by 1 inch in another saucepan and add cooking salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until tender but still holding their corners.
- Drain potatoes, spread in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with vinegar. Turn gently and cool for 15 to 20 minutes until no longer warm.
- Mix mayonnaise, mustard, relish, dressing salt and pepper in a large bowl. Fold in cooled potatoes, chopped eggs, celery and red onion without crushing the cubes.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving cold. Keep chilled until serving and return leftovers to the refrigerator promptly.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
The Crock-Pot is a great way to experiment with low-and-slow cooking, and not just for meat. Potatoes do great too, and by whisking the cheese in at the very end, you avoid the risk of the sauce breaking.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
Cook fresh potato cubes in broth until tender, then add the milk thickener and melt in cheddar after the heat goes off. That order keeps the cheese from sitting against the crock for six hours. Check an actual cube before adding dairy, because thick sauce can hide a firm center. The finished side should show soft potato pieces under their coating, with no browned top expected from the slow cooker.
Ingredients
Method
- Place potato cubes, onion, broth, butter, salt, pepper and dry mustard in a 4-quart slow cooker. Toss gently to distribute the seasonings and level the potatoes.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours until a fork enters the largest cubes easily. Keep the lid closed during cooking and confirm the potatoes are tender before adding the milk.
- Whisk evaporated milk with cornstarch until completely smooth. Stir gently into the hot potatoes, cover and cook on HIGH for 25 to 30 minutes until the liquid bubbles around the edges and thickens.
- Turn the cooker off and fold in cheddar in 3 additions until melted, keeping the potato cubes intact. Let stand uncovered for 10 minutes to settle the sauce.
- Spoon into a serving bowl while hot. Reheat refrigerated leftovers gently with 2 tablespoons milk per 2 cups of potatoes as needed until the center reaches 165°F.
Potato Pancakes
For a long time, I had a fear of potato pancakes, one too many poorly rendered latkes at a bar mitzvah, I suppose. I have since seen the light, and these are killer both as a light breakfast and as a dinnertime side.
Potato Pancakes
Squeeze the grated potatoes and onion until the towel stops dripping, then mix the batter just before it meets the skillet. Standing salted potato sheds more water, so a bowl prepared far ahead becomes harder to fry cleanly. The egg and flour only need to hold the shreds together; they shouldn't turn the mixture into pancake batter you can pour. Flatten each portion in the pan and wait for a dark golden underside before turning. Four small batches give you crisp edges and tender centers without dropping the oil temperature under one large mound of cold potatoes, and the first batch stays crisp on a rack.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°F and set a rack over a rimmed sheet pan. Grate potatoes and onion on the large holes of a box grater, wrap in a clean towel and squeeze very firmly until little liquid comes out.
- Mix the squeezed shreds with eggs, flour, salt and pepper just until evenly coated. Divide mentally into 16 equal portions and cook promptly.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 4 portions and flatten each to about 3 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick, leaving space between them.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and the centers are tender with no wet egg mixture. Transfer to the prepared rack in the warm oven.
- Repeat in 3 more batches, using 2 tablespoons fresh oil for each batch and adjusting the heat to prevent scorching. Serve 2 pancakes per person promptly.
Duchess Potatoes
Old cookbooks are full of recipes with Duchess potatoes, but they're not as commonly seen anymore. By blending mash with egg yolks, you get a creamy, rich product you can pipe out into cute little dollops before baking, and the star tip on a piping bag ensures plenty of craggy, deliciously browned ridges.
Duchess Potatoes
Duchess potatoes need a dry mash that can hold the ridges from a piping tip, not the loose milk-heavy texture of a serving bowl of mashed potatoes. Rice the cooked russets while they are hot, let steam escape and fold in the yolks once the mixture has cooled slightly. The butter softens the center while the exposed ridges brown in the oven. Pipe even mounds so the small ones don't dry out waiting for larger ones to color. A gentle brush of melted butter is enough at the finish; pressing the brush into the tops can erase the shape before the heat has a chance to set it.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F and line 2 rimmed sheets with parchment. Cover potatoes with cold water by 1 inch, add cooking salt and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes after the water begins bubbling, until very tender.
- Drain thoroughly and return potatoes to the warm pan over low heat for 2 minutes, shaking gently to dry. Pass through a potato ricer into a bowl and let steam escape for 5 minutes.
- Fold in 3 tablespoons melted butter, then egg yolks, seasoning salt, white pepper and nutmeg until smooth enough to pipe. Avoid whipping or adding milk.
- Transfer the warm mixture to a sturdy piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe 24 evenly sized mounds about 2 1/2 inches wide, leaving space between them, and lightly brush the tops with remaining melted butter.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the ridges are golden and the centers reach 160°F. Rest for 3 minutes and serve 3 mounds per person.
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Want a more rustic texture than the classic mash? Smashed potatoes are as easy as can be: quickly boiled, smashed up, and baked. Grated Parmesan is baked under the potatoes, ensuring cheesy flavor without the risk of burning.
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Put the Parmesan under the smashed potatoes so it bakes into a lacy crust where the potato meets the pan. Boil the small potatoes until fully tender, dry them and flatten gently; pressing a firm center only splits the skin without making an even base. Give the finished crust a few minutes to set before sliding a thin spatula underneath, or the cheese will stay on the tray when you lift the potato.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Cover whole baby potatoes with cold water by 1 inch, add cooking salt and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until fully tender; drain and let steam escape for 5 minutes.
- Brush a large metal rimmed sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Make 18 small flat piles of finely grated Parmesan, spaced so the potatoes will not touch.
- Flatten each warm potato gently to about 1/2 inch thick on a plate with the bottom of a glass, then set one over each Parmesan pile. Keep the skins attached where possible.
- Brush tops with remaining oil and season with garlic powder, seasoning salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until tops are golden and the cheese underneath is deeply browned.
- Rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then slide a thin metal spatula under each cheese crust and lift carefully. Serve about 3 potatoes per person.
Potatoes O’Brien
Bell peppers might be my favorite vegetable, and they play so well with potatoes. Potatoes O'Brien is an old-fashioned side dish dating to the early 20th Century, with potatoes cooked separately from onions at first and then finished all at once, allowing for more precise flavors.
Potatoes O'Brien
Brown the potatoes separately from the peppers and onion, then bring them together at the end. The vegetables need enough heat to soften without being crushed under a panful of potato cubes. A short parboil gives the russets a head start, while a few undisturbed minutes in the skillet build the browned faces that make this side worth ordering. Keep the dice even and let the drained potatoes stop steaming before they meet the oil. The finished mixture should show distinct red and green pepper pieces between golden potato cubes, with no egg or cheese needed to hold the pan together.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover potato cubes with cold water by 1 inch, add cooking salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the outside softens while the centers remain slightly firm; drain and steam dry for 3 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peppers and onion with half the seasoning salt for 7 to 8 minutes until tender at the edges, then transfer to a bowl.
- Add remaining oil and butter to the pan. Spread potatoes into a fairly even layer and cook without stirring for 5 minutes until the bottom faces brown.
- Turn potatoes in sections and cook for 8 to 10 minutes more, turning occasionally, until browned on several sides and tender throughout. Lower the heat if the outside colors before the centers soften.
- Return peppers and onion to the pan with remaining salt and black pepper. Toss for 2 to 3 minutes until hot, then serve immediately.
Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
If you're a Ranch dressing hater, I'm right there with you, but the herb and spice blend is actually hard to beat. And the foil-packet technique ("en papillote" if you want to be fancy) both gently coaxes out aromas from the dried herbs and makes for a very fun dining experience; opening the foil packets at the table is like opening a present.
Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
Thin red-potato coins steam inside foil packets on the grill, then cheddar melts over them at the finish. Mix the ranch seasoning evenly and seal the packets well so the measured water stays inside as steam. Test a slice before adding cheese; once the potatoes are tender, the cheddar only needs a few minutes on the cooler side of the grill to soften without burning against the foil.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat a covered grill to medium, about 400°F, with a cooler area available. Cut 4 large double-layer sheets of heavy-duty foil.
- Toss potato slices with melted butter, buttermilk powder, chives, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper until evenly coated. Divide among the foil sheets in shallow overlapping layers.
- Add 1 tablespoon water to each packet and fold the edges tightly to seal, leaving a little headroom for steam. Grill covered for 25 to 30 minutes, turning packets once halfway through.
- Move packets to the cooler side, open one carefully away from your face and test a potato slice with a fork. Reseal and cook a little longer if it is still firm.
- Open all packets, divide cheddar over the potatoes and close the grill lid for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Rest for 3 minutes and serve one packet per person.
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Yes, sweet potatoes are not potatoes, and they're a bit less versatile, but they're such a good autumn vegetable, and they mash without any risk of a gluey texture. This recipe uses feta to pierce through the sugary-sweet mash.
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Roasted sweet potato mash can carry a savory casserole without a layer of sugar on top. Squeezed spinach and crumbled feta break up the sweetness, while panko and pumpkin seeds supply a thin crunchy lid. Roast the potatoes whole so the flesh stays concentrated, and let the mash cool until warm before folding in the egg. The spinach needs a firm squeeze after thawing; extra water can make the filling loose even after the top has browned. A short rest lets the scoop hold together, with orange potato, green spinach and white feta still visible instead of disappearing into one smooth puree.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Pierce sweet potatoes several times and roast on a rimmed sheet for 55 to 65 minutes until fully tender. Cool for 10 minutes, remove skins and mash the flesh in a large bowl; lower the oven to 375°F.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic for 30 seconds, add squeezed spinach and stir for 3 minutes until loose moisture evaporates. Fold into the potato mash and let cool until warm rather than steaming.
- Grease a 2-quart baking dish with the teaspoon butter. Fold yogurt, egg, feta, salt and pepper into the mash just until combined, then spread in the dish.
- Toss panko and pumpkin seeds with olive oil and scatter in a thin layer over the filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden and the center reaches 165°F.
- Rest for 10 minutes before scooping so the filling settles. Serve with a broad spoon, keeping some of the crumb topping on each portion.
Potato Gratin With Gruyere
Go to any bistro in Paris, and you'll see the wait staff ladling fragrant, beautifully mottled-brown gratin onto diners' plates, and Gruyère is absolutely the classic cheese of choice. It's just as easy as any other gratin, and the Gruyere really does add a bit of Parisian flair.
Potato Gratin With Gruyere
Stand the potato slices on edge for a Gruyere gratin with crisp ridges above a creamy lower half. The arrangement takes a few minutes, but it changes the bite enough to be worth doing when you already have the oven on. Toss the slices with the seasoned cream before stacking them so the cheese and garlic reach between the layers. Foil protects the middle while the potatoes soften, then the uncovered finish browns the exposed edges. Check several spots with a thin knife instead of judging by the top alone; a golden ridge can sit over a firm slice, and the gratin needs to be tender all the way down.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9-inch square 2-quart baking dish. Mix cream, milk, 4 ounces Gruyere, Dijon, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Slice potatoes evenly 1/8 inch thick without rinsing afterward. Turn through the cream mixture until coated on both sides.
- Gather small stacks and stand them upright on their edges in snug rows in the dish, with the curved tops exposed. Pour all remaining cream mixture evenly over and between the rows.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover, scatter remaining Gruyere over the ridges and bake for 25 to 30 minutes more until the exposed edges are golden and a thin knife passes easily through several places in the center.
- Rest for 15 minutes so the cream settles around the layers, then lift portions with a broad spoon or spatula.
Thawing frozen hashbrowns before a casserole
The water content in potatoes can make any frozen potato product a bit tricky to defrost, but advance planning helps. The night before, just pop them out of the freezer and into the fridge, and they'll be perfectly ready for tomorrow's dinner.
Make-ahead potato sides that reheat well
One of my favorite things about potato dishes is what good leftovers they make, and indeed, many of the recipes here are way better on day two than day one. Anything fried, though, needs a quick refresh, and a little high heat on the stovetop should do the trick.
