Potatoes are like a good pair of jeans. You can dress them up or dress them down. They can look really chic and stylish or a little old-fashioned, but are always dependable. They go with practically everything and are popular around the world.
Like jeans, potatoes can be cut and styled in many different ways. Today, we’re sharing 21 versatile potato side dishes. There are potato casseroles, potato salads, and French fries. There are roasted potatoes, potatoes layered with cheese and bacon, twice-baked potatoes topped with sour cream, and grilled potatoes. There are easy recipes that come together in 30 minutes and some that take a little bit longer (but are well worth it). You can go over the top, but at the end of the day, all you need is butter, cream, salt, and pepper to make russets or Yukon gold potatoes taste like a warm hug.
1. Scalloped Potatoes
One of the best things my Nana ever cooked: flank steak served with scalloped potatoes on the side. The potatoes came from a box, but the result was the most comforting, creamy, cheesy side dish ever. This from-scratch scalloped potato recipe reminds me of her with each and every bite.
2. Baked Sweet Potatoes With Maple Crème Fraîche From Nik Sharma
Upgrade baked sweet potatoes with maple syrup, crème fraîché, crunchy peanuts, scallions, and a sprinkle of red chile flakes—the ultimate potato side dish recipe for fall.
3. Potato Salad With Celery & Hard-Boiled Eggs
It’s not a picnic without potato salad! If you’re a fan of the classic mayo version, this one will hit the spot.
4. Salt & Vinegar Mashed Potatoes
Think about your favorite type of potato chips. Are they salt and vinegar? If so, these mashed potatoes made with kosher salt and malt vinegar will satisfy the craving.
5. Butter-Braised Fingerlings
Fingerling potatoes are unfussy, but make a big impact. Fresh sage and rosemary leaves, garlic, and lemon juice breathe new life into this crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside classic side dish.
6. Josh Ozersky's 3-Minute Hash Browns
Breakfast is served! Made this quick and easy recipe for hash browns to serve alongside, what else, but a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.
7. Patricia Wells' Fake Frites
Craving French fries at home but lacking a vat of vegetable oil or a deep-fryer? You’re not alone! Patricia Wells' method for steaming taters and then baking them in the oven ensures that they’ll be perfectly fluffy on the inside and crispy, golden-brown on the outside.
8. Grilled Potato and Green Bean Salad
“Potato salads usually fall into two camps: cold and mayo-slicked, or warm and vinegary. I have a soft spot for both. But give me a choice, and I’ll go for this feisty, grilled version that's essentially a hybrid of the two every single time,” writes recipe developer EmilyC.
9. Molly Yeh's Roasted Potatoes With Paprika Mayo
Every time Molly Yeh shares a recipe, we say YAY! Once the potatoes are baked and super crispy, Molly tosses the spuds in a mixture of mayonnaise, vinegar, and paprika.
10. Funeral Potatoes
Food is a love language, particularly when those around you are grieving the loss of a loved one. One thing that is guaranteed to make you feel better is this comforting potato casserole that’s a staple in the Mormon community.
11. Garlicky Roasted Potato Salad
Our readers voted this their favorite potato salad recipe of all time. Soon enough, it will be yours too!
12. Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Your dairy-free guests will be thrilled when you say “yes, you CAN eat the potatoes,” thanks to a blend of extra-virgin olive oil, vegan butter, almond milk, and a blend of dried herbs.
13. Crispy Potatoes with Garlic Mustard Pesto
Potatoes and pesto are a combination that doesn’t get nearly enough love. Try this pairing, especially with an anything-but-ordinary vegan pesto made with mustard greens, pecans, and nutritional yeast.
14. Pommes Aligot
French cuisine has a reputation for being chic and luxurious like black silk, a red lip, and sky-high stilettos. It’s also liberal in its use of butter, cream, and cheese. These lavish cheesy mashed potatoes ribbon off a wooden spoon and melt onto your side dish alongside something equally luxe, like grilled Scottish salmon or farmhouse chicken.
15. Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Peperonata & Greens
For a late-summer, early-fall side dish, serve roasted sweet potatoes with charred bell peppers, sautéed onions, and fresh baby greens.
16. Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
It should be clear at this point that we have a lot of great potato side dish recipes. But this recipe for scalloped potatoes layered with delicious caramelized onions may be the best. Just ask our readers who voted it the “best recipe with potatoes” on our site.
17. Twice-Baked Potatoes with Kale
Whether you have leftover baked potatoes or want to take a traditional meat and potatoes dinner to the next level, this is an “I never thought of that” kind of recipe. Mix the fluffy interior of the spuds with sour cream, sautéed kale, and cheese, and then re-bake them so that they get hot and steamy all over again.
18. Crispy Soy & Ginger Roast Potatoes From Lara Lee
“A stand-out accompaniment, the potatoes are roasted, then tossed with stir-fried spring onions and then drizzled with a rich soy dressing that is sharpened by the acidic hit of vinegar,” writes recipe developer Lara Lee.
19. Potatoes à la Lyonnaise
With only four ingredients, this simple potato side dish is pure magic. I'm not saying it’s because the recipe calls for a stick and a half of butter...but I'm not, not saying that.
20. Potato Mash with Leek Confit and Bacon
If you love the flavors of a classic French vichyssoise soup, then you’ll fall head over heels for this bacon-studded casserole.
21. Curly Fries
One of life’s greatest pleasures is getting a bag of crispy seasoned curly fries on-the-go. Maybe you’re getting them with a hot roast beef sandwich, or with a cold lobster roll or clam strips. The beauty of making fries at home is that you can serve them with anything your heart desires.
22. Hasselback Potato Skillet Bake
Our readers can't get enough of this stunning skillet side dish.
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