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The ultimate in comfort food, potatoes are great for all kinds of side dish recipes.
They are readily available, inexpensive, and can be used in countless ways. It’s hard to resist the creamy, starchy, carby deliciousness of a potato.
Let us know in the comments below what your favorites are!
What to Make With Potatoes
Potato side dishes are great for baking, mashing and roasting.
Choose russet potatoes for mashed potatoes and fries. The starchy texture helps keep them fluffy. I personally love the skins on when making fries or a roasted potato recipe. Not only is it easier (no peeling!), put it adds great flavor and texture.
Yukon gold potatoes have a creamy texture but hold their shape well making them ideal for roasting, mashing, and scalloped potatoes. Thin skins means no peeling.
Red Potatoes also have thin skins and a buttery texture. They are great for roasting, soups, potato salads and more.
Storing Potatoes
Keep potatoes in a cool dark place (and store them away from onions!). Potatoes should not be stored in the fridge as this can turn some of the starches into sugar and change both the flavor and the texture.
Potatoes are oven-baked until the skin is crisp, and the insides are soft, white, and fluffy. Top with bacon, sour cream, cheese, or chives for the perfect side dish.
These loaded mashed potato cakes make an amazing side dish or light dinner or lunch! They are the perfect way to enjoy leftover potatoes and the flavor combinations are endless!
Most of our fries are baked or air fried because we like to keep it easy! Russet potatoes make great fries because they’re starchy which makes for a fluffy inside with a crispy outside.
If time allows, cut the potatoes and then soak them for cold water. This gets rid of extra starches on the outside for a crisp texture.
Russets make great mashed potatoes because they’re so starchy. You’ll have to peel them first (if you’d like a rustic smashed potato, try Yukon golds instead) because the skins can be tough.
Instead of boiling, you can make baked potatoes for mashing and save the skins for potato skins.
Mashed Potato Salad – This is the perfect way to use ANY leftover mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potato Salad
This flavorful Mashed Potato Salad is the perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Sour cream & vinegar, plus mayo give it a delicious creamy tang!
Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals. See more posts by Holly
