Easy Potato Dishes: 8 Potato Recipes for Any Occasion

Part of the appeal of potatoes is the variety of ways there are to cook them, with each new technique revealing differences in texture and flavor.

• Baked: The baked potato is iconic for its simplicity: Place a whole, skin-on potato into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour, and the interiors turn soft and steamy while the outer skin crisps up. Potatoes are also a part of many bread recipes, either in the form of potato starch or mashed potatoes that bakers incorporate directly into the dough. Other baked potato casserole dishes include Hasselback potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or potatoes au gratin.
• Boiled: The first step for many potato recipes is boiling, which cooks the potato’s flesh and allows a quicker cooking time when sautéing or pan-frying (if the goal is crispy outer skin and a creamy interior). Boiled potatoes are easier to dice or smash before pan-frying. Combine the tubers with assorted fats to make buttery mashed potatoes or pomme purée.
• Fried: Searing potatoes in a skillet of hot fat is one of the best ways to achieve a golden crust—as seen in dishes like hash browns, potato rösti, smashed potatoes, latkes, and more. Deep-frying results in airy, crispy potatoes, as seen in French fries.
• Roasted: Roasting potatoes requires the oven to crisp the potato’s outer layers, which also turns the inside soft and tender. While baked potatoes start with raw, whole potatoes, you’ll need to first dice or cut roasted potatoes into potato wedges, then toss them with a type of fat—typically oil—and season well before cooking.
• Sautéed: When a crispy crust is less of a priority, sauté the potatoes, like in aloo gobi, so they can soften and soak up the surrounding spices.

Potatoes are fairly forgiving: You may spend a little extra time browning or boiling, but the result is worth the experimentation. Here are a few basic tips to consider:

1. 1. Pick the best potato for the job. The success of an individual potato dish will often come down to potato selection. Russet potatoes are starchy and fluffy, perfect for mashing or using in baking. In contrast, red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes keep their shape and are better for roasting or using in soups, where their creamy texture turns velvety. Baby potatoes, fingerlings, or new potatoes are perfect for incorporating into potato salads, composed salads like a Niçoise, or roasting in perfect bite-sized halves.
2. 2. Boil the potatoes whole. Many recipes will call for boiling potatoes before cooking them further. Boiling them whole, or “in their jackets,” instead of in pieces prevents the potato from becoming too water-logged as it boils.
3. 3. Cut potatoes into small, even pieces for quicker cooking. Smaller pieces of potato will cook faster, which is ideal when you’re short on time but still want home fries for your brunch spread. Slicing potatoes into thin coins can reduce the cooking time.

Here is a list of easy potato recipes to try for your next breakfast, brunch, or dinner:

1. 1. Au gratin: Potatoes au gratin combines layers of sliced potatoes and cheese in a baked casserole dish, sometimes with a bread crumb topping for a contrasting crunch. People often compare and contrast au gratin potatoes with another classic potato side dish, scalloped potatoes. While both are rich and creamy potato dishes that reheat well, au gratin potatoes contain cheese, whereas scalloped potatoes contain a simple, creamy sauce.
2. 2. Aloo gobi: Aloo gobi is a potato and cauliflower curry recipe originating in the North Indian Punjab region. (“Aloo” is Urdu for “potato,” while “gobi” means “cauliflower.”) Aloo gobi recipes vary from place to place—some call for a tomato-based sauce, while others use fresh chilies. At its core, though, aloo gobi consists of potatoes and cauliflower florets sautéed in spiced oil.
3. 3. Potato bread: Potato bread refers to any type of bread that uses a cooked potato to replace some of the starch provided by wheat flour. The added potato starch gives wheat bread a fluffy texture that works as well for sandwich bread as it does for pull-apart potato rolls. Learn how to make potato bread.
4. 4. Potato gnocchi: Italian for “lumps,” gnocchi are dumplings made from mashed potatoes combined with enough flour to hold the dough together. Form the dumpling by rolling the dough—which sometimes contains eggs as a binding agent—into a thin log and then cut into bite-size pieces. Add ridges by pressing the gnocchi against a fork or ridged wooden gnocchi board.
5. 5. Potato leek soup: This classic soup features puréed potatoes and leeks. Inspired by simple French soup recipes, like potage bonne femme and potage Parmentier, potato soups come in both hot or cold varieties and can be smooth or chunky in texture, like chowder. Some recipes for potato leek soup feature sweet potatoes, others are dairy-free, and many have toppings like sour cream, crispy bacon bits, and chives.
6. 6. Potato purée: Potato purée, or pomme purée, is a side dish or accompaniment consisting of very soft boiled potatoes passed through a potato ricer, food mill, or food processor, then emulsified on the stovetop with various fats, like butter and heavy cream. Cooks can incorporate this purée into dishes like a gratin, beneath roasted chicken or braised pork, or alongside other classic side dishes like steamed green beans or sautéed asparagus. Popular toppings for pomme purée include Parmesan, fresh thyme, or chives.
7. 7. Potato rösti: Potato rösti is a traditional Swiss potato pancake that lends itself to myriad flavor combinations and variations. The potato fries in a fat, like butter, to help create a crispy texture. Personalize a rösti recipe by adding cooked bacon, leeks, garlic, or minced onions to the grated potatoes.
8. 8. Potato salad: Potato salad is a classic backyard BBQ side dish that combines cooked potatoes with mayonnaise, mustard, fresh herbs, and crunchy elements like pickles or crisp radishes, resulting in a harmonious balance between savory and sweet. There are a few foundational ingredients in a classic potato salad recipe, which has its roots in traditional German potato salad: mayonnaise, mustard, diced red onions, and green onions like scallions or chives. Japanese potato salad combines crisp veggies and Western deli staples, like hard-boiled eggs and sandwich meat, with classic Japanese flavors, like rice vinegar and hot mustard.

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