Stupendous Spuds: The Very Best of Potatoes

Potatoes: humble, historic, and transcendent in the right hands. We’re here to tell you everything you need to know about making perfect potatoes.

A potato is an unassuming thing, yet it has almost unlimited potential; mash it, bake it, boil it, roast it, fry it, pine for it if you’ve decided to cut carbs. It’s certainly deserving of its own holiday, and it has one: National Potato Day is on August 19. To celebrate the stupendous spud then and all year long, we put together this guide to (almost) everything you need to know about potatoes.

Potatoes at a Glance

While we’re mostly familiar with a few basic types of potatoes (russet, Yukon Gold, new potatoes, red potatoes, fingerlings), there are over 4,000 varieties of potatoes in the world, most of which grow in the Andean Mountain region—no wonder Peruvian cuisine is so heavy on spuds. They’ve become a staple ingredient in cultures worldwide, though they’ve also recently been vilified as carb-heavy diet destroyers. It’s true that they’re no superfood when it comes to nutritional value; potatoes are mostly water, and are indeed high in carbs. They’re low in fat, though, and contain significant doses of vitamins B6 and C—but when you cook them, those vitamin levels decrease, so maybe a moot point unless you enjoy munching raw potatoes.

We don’t (okay, some of us do occasionally sneak a raw potato slice when we’re cooking—anyone else?), but we definitely can’t resist potatoes in any of their other glorious forms.

Jenny Dettrick / Moment / Getty Images

Can Potatoes Poison You?

Before you prep your potatoes, you should know one other thing: Are sprouted potatoes poisonous? (Spoiler: They’re probably fine as long as you cut off the sprouts and green spots, with a couple other caveats. Find out more, then get cookin’!)

How to Cook & Peel Potatoes

How best to cook potatoes depends, of course, on what end result you’re going for (crisp, creamy, a combination of the two), but if you need to peel your potatoes, here’s an easy hack for doing it without a peeler:

Bialetti Pasta Pot with Strainer Lid, $34.99 on Amazon

This pot makes draining your potatoes a cinch too.

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Now, on to all the terrific things you can do with a potato, broken down into rough categories so you can easily find your faves!

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Potato Salad Pointers

In summer, potato salad is a mainstay, but there are so many ways to make it you’ll never get tired of finding it on your picnic table or backyard BBQ platter. However, there are some pressing questions concerning potato salad, which we’ve addressed:

• Should You Use Waxy or Starchy Potatoes for Potato Salad?
• How Long Can Potato Salad Sit Out at Room Temperature?

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Naturally, we’ve collected plenty of potato salad recipes too; here are some highlights:

• This Japanese Potato Salad Is Our Ultimate Summer Side
• Our Other Favorite Potato Salad Recipes, from Classic to Nontraditional
• Mayo-Free Potato Salad Recipes

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Mastering Mashed Potatoes

As we move into the cooler months, mashed potatoes will be on our plates much more often, and this is a superb way to make them:

But as always, there are divided opinions on the perfect mashed potatoes, so here are some oldie-but-goodie threads on the matter from the Chowhound community:

• Chowhounds Discuss: How to get really smooth mashed potatoes
• Chowhounds Discuss: How much butter should you put in mashed potatoes?
• Chowhounds Discuss: What’s the best non-dairy mashed potato recipe?
• Chowhounds Discuss: The best tool for mashing potatoes

OXO Good Grips Potato Ricer, $24.95 on Amazon

If you like super smooth potatoes, a ricer is the only way to go.

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And a couple other interesting points concerning mashed potato shortcuts:

• Can You Make Mashed Potatoes Ahead of Time?
• What’s Actually in Boxed Mashed Potatoes (and Should You Ever Use Them)?

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Beautiful Baked Potatoes (& Roast Potatoes Too)

These dishes are fraternal twins so we’re lumping them together—and potato skins too, because they’re kind of like a hybrid of both.

Baked Potatoes

Another classic potato preparation, baked potatoes are a blank canvas and can be dressed up any which way.

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Why, yes, we have some ideas:

• How to Set Up a Baked Potato Bar to Please a Crowd (or Just Your Family)
• Chowhounds Discuss: Oil, foil, naked—what’s the best way to bake potatoes?

Roasted Potatoes

They’re cooked in a similar manner (dry heat in the oven), though they’re cut into smaller pieces first and often peeled.

Perfect Roast Potatoes

View Recipe

Here are a couple more hot tips for making them:

• Smash & Roast Potatoes for Extra Crispy Bits
• Turn Leftover Potato Salad Into a Roasted Potato Side

Potato Skins

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At some dreamy place in between the two lies the potato skin, bar snack extraordinaire, well worth mastering at home.

• How to Make Crispy Potato Skins In Your Oven

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Fantastic Fried Potatoes

Fried potatoes are eternal, good all year round for any meal of the day. Here are a few of our favorite forms and some essential info on each iteration:

French Fries

Chowhound

They really need no introduction.

• The Ultimate Homemade French Fry Guide
• How to Make Healthier French Fries
• McDonald’s Fries Around the World
• The Best Homemade Dips & Sauces for French Fries
• Over-the-Top French Fry Toppings

Potato Chips

Is there any better partner to a sandwich?

• Flashback to When We Ranked All of Lay’s Taste of America Chips
• Make Potato Chips in the Microwave!

Tater Tots

Cafeteria classic, still going strong.

• The History of Tater Tots: Peak Junk Food Innovation
• How to Make Your Own Tots (It’s Easier Than You Think)

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Potato Latkes

What’s not to love?

• What Is the Difference Between Latkes and Potato Pancakes?
• Why Do We Eat Latkes on Hanukkah?
• 8 New Ways to Top Latkes

Don't Forget About Hash Browns!

View Recipe

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Potatoes’ Other Fabulous Forms

The whole world loves a potato, so here are even more ways to spotlight spuds on your menu:

• Greek Skordalia Is the Potato-Garlic Dip of Your Dreams
• Have Tuber, Will Travel: International Potato Recipes from Aloo Gobi to Poutine
• Have You Tried Irish Potato Candy?
• How Did Funeral Potatoes Get Their Name?
• Potato Soups to Add to Your Repertoire

Potato & Cheese Pizza

View Recipe

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Sweet Potatoes

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Though similarly named to spuds, sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes—they’re considered root vegetables, not tubers (and they come from the morning glory family, while potatoes are nightshades). Nonetheless, you can prepare them in virtually all the same ways as true potatoes, plus put them in all your holiday casseroles. Check out our sweet potato recipe page for even more delicious ideas.

What’s your favorite way to eat potatoes? Got a hot potato tip? Let us know in the comments!

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The Best International Potato Recipes

Potatoes are famously versatile, and beloved around the globe in many different forms. Keto eaters will have to look away, but for the rest of us, these 15 international potato recipes should provide some delicious dinner inspiration—not just on National Potato Day (August 19), but all year round.

We didn’t include any all-American potato dishes on this list because, well, there are simply too many to choose from (and they get enough press as it is)—but suffice it to say, there are many more things to make from potatoes besides fries, tots, hash browns, baked potatoes, and pillowy mounds of mash.

Here are just some of the ways the rest of the world makes potatoes.

India: Aloo Gobi

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Potato samosas are one of the best Indian ways to enjoy your spuds, but this warmly spiced dish is also top-tier (and doesn’t require any deep frying or dough making). The potatoes join forces with cauliflower for a great one-pan vegetarian dinner; serve with rice or naan and raita if you wish. Get our Aloo Gobi recipe.

Malaysia: Spicy Potato Casserole

Christina Arokiasamy

This spicy, sambal-laced potato casserole with hints of sweetness from jaggery (or brown sugar) brims with flavor. Coconut cream adds richness to the dish and makes the sauce cling to the crisp-edged potato pieces. Forget Minnesota—this is the real hot dish. Get the Malaysian Potato Casserole recipe.

Ireland: Colcannon

Chowhound

This Irish potato hash with cabbage and onions (and a massive amount of butter) shouldn’t be relegated to St. Patrick’s Day, though it does pair particularly well with corned beef. It’s also good with ham or steak, but for a vegetarian version, just crack some eggs in and think of it as sort of like an Irish shakshuka. Get our Colcannon recipe.

Greece: Skordalia

Francesco Sapienza (Lamalo)

Creamy and fluffy like the best mashed potatoes but not served warm, this addictive potato dip is laced with plenty of garlic and is dairy-free, so everyone (who’s still eating carbs, anyway) can partake. Serve it as a dip and you’ll barely need to wash the bowl because every last bit will get devoured. Get the Skordalia recipe.

China: Shredded Potato Stir-Fry

BJI / Blue Jean Images / Getty Images

This Beijing-style potato stir fry is super easy and a refreshing change of pace: still a little crunchy, spicy, and sour. Eat it hot or (as is more traditional) at room temperature for a Chinese take on potato salad. Get the Shredded Potato Stir-Fry recipe.

Japan: Japanese Potato Salad

Hana Asbrink

This Japanese potato salad is more like what you’re used to—but way better. Creamy and fluffy with crunchy bits of onion, cucumber, and carrot, the dressing is based on Kewpie mayo with Japanese mustard and rice vinegar mixed in. Get our Japanese Potato Salad recipe.

Peru: Causa Rellena or Potato Empanadas

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Peruvian cooking is heavy on potatoes, in large part because there are over 4,000 varieties that grow in the region. A layered potato terrine, Causa Rellena is a traditional treat, but you can also try adapting our Chicken Empanada recipe to include some potatoes in the filling too; empanadas are everywhere in Peru (and other parts of South America).

Spain: Potato Tots Bravas

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A tortilla española would be a fine choice for sure, but who can resist fried potatoes? These homemade tots are inspired by the classic tapas dish patatas bravas (“fierce potatoes,” aka spicy, though the aioli helps balance the fire for a harmonious bite). Get our Potato Tots Bravas recipe.

Mexico: Chorizo and Potato Tacos

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Mexican potato tacos are more traditionally just corn tortilla shells filled with mashed potatoes and deep-fried, but roasted breakfast potatoes also make a great taco filling. Pair them with whatever other morning morsels you like (we used Mexican chorizo, scrambled eggs, and queso fresco here, but bacon is always welcome). Get our Chorizo and Potato Taco recipe.

Canada: Poutine

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Quebec knows how to make fries even better: top them with toothsome cheese curds and douse it all in rich beef gravy. Our version does take some time since it calls for making an intense short rib gravy from scratch, but it is 100 percent worth it. Get our Poutine recipe.

England: Fish Pie

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The Brits, like most Americans, appreciate a good mash, but it doesn’t have to be a mere side dish. Trowel it atop a hearty shepherd’s pie or another U.K. favorite, a creamy, herb-flecked fish pie. Get our Fish Pie recipe.

France: Pommes de Terre Lorette

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As we all know, French fries are not actually French, but the land of haute cuisine does produce incredible fried potatoes, like these fancy pommes de terre Lorette. They look a bit like mini churros, and that’s not totally far off—the recipe combines egg-enriched choux pastry dough with ultra buttery mashed potatoes and fries them into fluffy, crisp-shelled potato clouds. Get our Pommes de Terre Lorette recipe.

Italy: Potato Gnocchi with Sage Butter

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Speaking of potato clouds, great gnocchi is like a bowl of them: tender potato pasta pillows that are simultaneously rich and light, and great with virtually any sauce from ragu (as in our header image way up top) to a simple sage butter like we use here. Get our Potato Gnocchi recipe.

Sweden: Hasselback Potatoes

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Hasselback potatoes originated in Stockholm, and not only are they a fun way to roast a spud, the tiny slits also maximize the crisp surface area. Those notches catch a lot of melted butter and garnishes too, like bacon, cheese, fried garlic, and chives. Get our Hasselback Potato recipe.

Eastern Europe: Latkes

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A Hanukkah staple, potato latkes became popular in eastern Europe in the late 1800s (prior latkes were usually made from various grains), but they eventually made it to America with the diaspora, much to everyone’s benefit. They’re similar to both Swedish rösti and diner hash browns, but whereas those two dishes are just shredded potatoes fried in oil, latkes also contain matzo and eggs. Get our Latke recipe.

Related Video: How to Peel a Potato with Your Bare Hands

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How to Make Stuffed Tomatoes

If You Love S’mores, You Have the Girl Scouts to Thank

Ever wondered who invented s’mores?

Now that it’s summertime, you’ve probably found yourself lounging by the fire pit, or maybe you’re basking in the glow of a bonfire down at the beach—or at least gazing into glowing coals in the grill at the end of a BBQ. No matter what open flames or embers you’re contemplating, you’ve probably been tempted to roast a marshmallow or two. Better yet, combine them with chocolate and graham crackers for the ultimate outdoorsy treat—s’mores. First you have one, and then you have s’more. A lot more.

Related Reading: Our’Smores Bars Are Basically Summer Christmas Crack

Isn’t it strange how the combination of these three basic ingredients instantly transforms into something altogether magical when united in ooey-gooey harmony? While a campfire snack staple now, it wasn’t always this way. After all, someone had to come up with this ingenious idea to put them all together. So if you ever wondered about the history of s’mores, well you’ve come to the right place, and you’ve got a scrappy group of pre-teen girls to thank!

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Toasting Marshmallows

Let’s start with one key ingredient: marshmallows. The concept of toasting these sugary pillows over campfires began in the late 1800s. Beach towns in the Northeast popularized the idea by hosting parties at summer resorts with the specific intent of heating up marshmallows. At the time, this idea was novel and even romantic. According to one 1892 newspaper article that recounted a roast that took place in Asbury Park, N.J., “Marshmallow roasts are an excellent medium for flirtation…appropriately exhibited by nibbling the marshmallows of each other’s sticks.” The innuendo speaks for itself.

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Turning Them Into S’mores

But who decided to add the chocolate and the graham crackers? Turns out we have the Girl Scouts to thank for that pivotal pairing. The first-ever recipe for this delightful sweet snack can be traced back to a publication from 1927 titled “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.” The book includes lots of tips and tricks for enjoying a successful hike. But what’s hidden within its 118 pages lies one of the culinary world’s greatest gifts. Just below instructions for how to perfectly roast an apple is a recipe simply titled “Some More.” It’s directions are as simple as the result is divine:

“Toast two marshmallows over the coals to a crisp gooey state and put them inside a graham cracker and chocolate bar sandwich. The heat of the marshmallow between the halves of chocolate bar will melt the chocolate a bit. Though it tastes like ‘some more’ one is really enough.” That last part is really deceptive though. After all, you can always have s’more dessert!

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Stuffed Puffs Chocolate Filled Marshmallows, $3.98 at Walmart

Why didn't someone think of this sooner? Just add graham crackers and you're good to go.

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The recipe is credited to Loretta Scott Crew who made the treat for her troop during a camping trip. And while the name would eventually take on an abbreviated form, we still have her to thank for popularizing an amazing and rather ingenious idea. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised though? Girl Scouts have been ruling snacktime since 1917 with their vast array of cookie offerings, so really, it makes total sense.

S’mores for the Modern Age

If you’re looking to elevate your s’mores game beyond its humble scouting origins, there are plenty of ways to update the classic recipe. For instance, this variation adds bacon for a meaty kick. Or try giving it a fondue finish for an extra decadent twist. And if you’re just looking for other dessert options that still contain this gooey trifecta of ingredients, try making S’mores Brownies, S’mores Ice Cream, and this incredible S’mores Icebox Terrine, so you can enjoy the taste of a campfire all year long. Or go with our easy S’mores Bar recipe, which makes 40 pieces of addictive deliciousness for feeding a big crowd.

Related Reading: How to Set Up a Sweet S’mores Bar

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This sped-up version of chicken korma saves time without sacrificing flavor! Boneless chicken thighs are gently simmered in a rich, creamy sauce to create layers of sweet and spicy flavors.

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Ghee, also known as clarified butter, has a lovely nutty flavor, lasts indefinitely, and has a high smoke point. It can also often be eaten by people who are lactose intolerant.

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