Quick & tasty potato recipes

August 14, 2007 8:38 PM

What are some quick & tasty recipes I can make with potatoes?

Potatoes are dirt cheap, and easy to cook. What I want to know is: what are some ultra-simple & cheap ways to liven up the humble potato, into a tasty snack or meal? And what ingredients should I try to have on hand in order to do this? (eg + butter & milk = mashed potatoes, + fish sauce & blachan = fishy Indonesian potatoes, + ketchup & American cheese = American potatoes, + sour cream & refried beans = Mexican potatoes). Or, if you have any particular favourite ways of preparing simple potato recipes, let me know! :)

posted by UbuRoivas to food & drink (33 answers total)

My mom puts smallish potato chunks, a few dots of butter, some scallions, some pre-cooked bacon, and some shredded cheese in the microwave. Cover w/ plastic wrap and nuke till the potatoes are done. 7 minutes or so if I'm not mistaken.
posted by Gilbert at 8:43 PM on August 14, 2007

I can't remember if you're a veggo or not, but here's what the Snook and I have been doing lately: Warm up a roasting pan in the oven. When it's nice and hot, throw in a good scoop of duck fat*. Wait til it's melted. Cut up a bunch of small potatoes into halves or quarters and put them in the pan. Use a spatula to flip them over and stir them around so they get all coated. Roast in a hot oven until they're lovely and crispy. Serve with a big, juicy steak. Super fattening, super tasty, and oh so good on a cold winter's night...

(We acquired our bowl of fat after roasting a duck a few months ago, but I think you might be able to buy it from DJ's or somewhere like that. A little goes a long way...)
posted by web-goddess at 8:43 PM on August 14, 2007

I just took some waxy Maine potatoes and boiled them a bit, let them cool and smooshed them a little flat with my hand. Then I fried them in olive oil with a little salt and red pepper flakes. Simple and delicious.

And there's always the baked Idaho potato. Wash the skin, rub it down with a little olive oil to crisp the skin and put it in the oven at 450 F for 45 mins or so. You'll need sour cream for this. Classic.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:46 PM on August 14, 2007

You can't go past baked potatoes, especially since a lot of the ingredients are available in convenient canned form;

- Tin of sweet corn
- Tin of beetroot
- Tin of pineapple
- Some shredded ham, or bacon if you prefer
- Sour cream

I'm sure you can figure the rest out; microwave 'em first to soften them up (2.5 to 3 minutes per spud), then whack them in the oven for half an hour to crisp them up. Slice open, dump on the toppings.

Hassleback potatos are also a good way to go. Cut them in half, slice the tops repeatedly in a parallel fashion. Mix some crushed garlic and paprika in olive oil, rub into the laceration, and bake in the oven at 200 to 220 degrees C for 45 minutes. I could live off these.

Or, our herb-potatoes. Dice them into ~2cm cubes, and put them in the microwave again to soften them up, say 5 minutes for a few decent sized spuds. Fry them in a decent amount of olive oil with garlic, oregano and paprika.
posted by Jimbob at 8:47 PM on August 14, 2007

spicy potato salad = 1" cubed, cooked, and chilled potatoes + nayonaise (veggie mayonnaise) + adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers (add in *small* amounts and mix in, so you can see how spicy/smoky it is) + green onions

roasted fries = slice lengthwise into good fat french fry proportion, slather with olive oil, lay on cookie sheet, salt lightly, cook in oven (400 degrees for 15 minutes is a good place to start, it might take longer or less long depending; I usually just go by looking at them every few minutes)
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:50 PM on August 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

(I just noticed you may not have Maine and Idaho potatoes. So the equivalents are: Maines are small and waxy, good for boiling; Idahos have the deep brown papery skin and higher starch for baking.)
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:50 PM on August 14, 2007

potato pancakes are yummy. add some apple sauce or salsa, yum yum yum. add some sweet potato for a different flavor.

spanish tortilla is also something we make a lot. basically a big egg / potato omelet.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 8:52 PM on August 14, 2007

This one calls for red potatoes, but I've made it with Idaho potatoes and it's still good. Far and away my favorite quick & easy potato recipe.
posted by Tuwa at 8:57 PM on August 14, 2007

My kids like a hash brown/Roesti cake we make by grating the potatoes then cooking in a pan or sandwich press. We add some cheese and bacon sometimes. Roesti on Wikipedia has some more ideas.
posted by bystander at 8:57 PM on August 14, 2007

just looking at the titles on this link made my mouth water like Niagara!
posted by merocet at 9:06 PM on August 14, 2007

Simple red potato and olive salad:

Boil some small red potatoes, shock in ice bath. Pat dry, dice to generous chunkiness and toss with small green olives (pitted and unstuffed), diced green onion, coarse ground black pepper and kosher salt. Stir in a bit of white wine vinegar and a dab of mayo, just enough to moisten.

Eat directly out of bowl with a cold glass bottle of sancerre.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:08 PM on August 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

Skordalia is a Greek sauce/dip that's made mostly of potatoes and garlic. I've been dipping veggies in it all night.
posted by contraption at 9:15 PM on August 14, 2007

Know Your Spuds:

High-starch potatoes (for baking, frying, and sometimes mashing) generally have thick brown skins, like russets and Idaho bakers.

Medium-starch potatoes like Yukon gold are versatile. They can be baked, grilled, fried, whatever. Yukon gold is my pick for favorite mashed potato, but YMMV.

Low-starch potatoes like red potatoes and fingerlings are best when boiled or sauteed. They don't fall apart like other spuds.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:16 PM on August 14, 2007 [3 favorites]

German potato salad - recipe similar to the one I use here.
It's better than normal potato salad because it substitutes mayo with bacon. Mmm bacon.

I also enjoy grilled potatoes: Make a deep slice in a potato, almost like a pocket. Put some sliced onions, salt and pepper, and butter or olive oil into the pocket. Wrap potato in tin foil and stick in the grill while you're cooking other things--they should be done in about 45 min.
posted by landedjentry at 9:21 PM on August 14, 2007

Taco potatoes!

Bake your potatoes.
Throw cheese on top.
Add some cooked ground beef.
Cover with salsa.
(Lettuce, sour cream, etc.)
posted by graventy at 9:33 PM on August 14, 2007

Cut up red or yellow new potatoes into cubes, put them on a large sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle them with olive oil, then sprinkle on rosemary and salt. Wrap the foil all the way around this concoction. Put in the oven at 450 degrees, and bake for 35-45 minutes. Also really cook with asparagus included in the foil.

Or just bake the cut up potatoes in foil without any oil or anything. Really good red and yellow potatoes can be so flavorful that you can just enjoy the unflavored potato.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 9:48 PM on August 14, 2007

potatoes + ghee (or butter) + salt, curry, turmeric & garam masala, ginger, or garlic + any of a number of chopped veggies (carrots, green beans, okra, onions, peas, cauliflower, cabbage) makes a great aloo gobiesque dish. Just sautee on high heat and cover, adding water if necessary to make a bit of a gravy.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:49 PM on August 14, 2007

Go for sweet potatoes instead. They're cheap too and full of beta carotene-y goodness.

Cut potatoes into smallish wedges (~1 in at the thickest part.) Toss with olive oil, a little salt, black pepper, and the herb of your choice. I suggest fresh rosemary. Put on one layer on a cookie sheet and roast at 350F for ~20 minutes. Pull them out and flip them around with some tongs or a fork or something. Cook ~15 minutes more until they're done (your fork pokes through them easily.) Be careful--sweet potatoes can scorch on you. Eat. Cooked this way they're so much better than that horrible, sweet goo you get at Thanksgiving.

If you want, leave out the rosemary (or not) and serve with Sriracha.

Of course this recipe works with red potatoes, etc. too.
posted by sevenless at 9:52 PM on August 14, 2007

I just made baked potato soup a couple of days ago. Verdict? AWESOME. Will be making it again when the bacon salt arrives.
posted by majick at 10:30 PM on August 14, 2007

It's a legitimate question, BitterOldPunk. I've flagged your guideline-breaking offensive noise derail. Take it to MeTa if you have any issue with all this potatoey goodness.

I'll even add my own favourite: refried potatoes! Boil extra potatoes whenever you have cause for boiling potatoes. Save the extras overnight in the fridge, slice crosswise into 5-10mm strips & fry in butter until golden-brown. Add crunchy seasalt, freshly ground pepper & tomato sauce to taste & eat on buttered white toast for breakfast.

Variation: do the above, but make it an impromptu puttanesca potato dish by throwing in some anchovies, olives, & capers as you fry. If you have any tomato-based sauce or fresh/canned tomatoes handy, throw these in, too. Otherwise, just stick with the ketchup. Nice with a fried egg on top, too.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:35 PM on August 14, 2007

Oh boy, that reminds me: LATKES!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:51 PM on August 14, 2007

Well, maybe this is so simple that it's not worth mentioning, but I love oven-baked potato wedges (some people call them steak fries) with black pepper or any good seasoning mix (Mrs. Dash, et al). Dipped in a smoky bbq sauce or with salsa, they are so tasty that I could eat them alone, though I usually have them as a side.
posted by PY at 12:48 AM on August 15, 2007

i should correct myself: eat the refried potatoes on buttered white bread, not toast. the bread should soak up the juices. toast doesn't work. my bad.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:32 AM on August 15, 2007

YUM: potato soup, spanish tortilla, curry potatoes, sour cream mashed potatoes, latkes, rosemary roasted potatoes, samosas, potato-leek gratin.

also: moussaka! basically a lasagna-type dish of layerd sliced potatoes, ground lamb seasoned with oregano, salt and pepper, and cinnamon, eggplant, and tomato or red pepper, drowned in yummy bechamel and baked till golden brown and delicious.
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:56 AM on August 15, 2007

also, any kind of hash with a fried egg on top is good: saute potatoes, onions, veggie of choice, seasonings, and shredded diced meat until crispy and good.

you might do old-fashioned peppers, onion, and corned beef, or ham and peas, or beef and peppers, or chicken and tomatoes, or pork and asparagus....whatever combo you like!
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:59 AM on August 15, 2007

I don't even like potatoes, but staying over with the family of a friend (who are all potato farmers), they served up hasselback potatoes... OMG heaven, could not get enough!
posted by methylsalicylate at 5:11 AM on August 15, 2007

Boil up a lot of nice small potatoes whole (new potatoes if it's that time of year). Chop up a ton, I mean a ton, of fresh herbs. In our garden we have thyme, sage, oregano, parsley, and mint, so we use those (yes, all at once). You want enough so that all the potatoes get coated with green. Put the just-drained potatoes in a big bowl with the herbs and some salt and olive. Do not stint, I repeat do not stint with the olive oil. Chopped garlic is an optional addition.
We have never had any leftovers of this no matter how much we make, not for more than a few hours anyway.

I also second sevenless' sweet potato recipe and would suggest trying thyme instead of rosemary sometime.
posted by bluebird at 5:22 AM on August 15, 2007

My potato soup "recipe." (Recipe in quotes because I never measure.)

Slice the potatoes into thinnish wafers. Also chop up some carrots, cauliflower, broccoli or other veggies if you want.

Simmer some vegetable stock, and add: seasoning salt, garlic, green onions, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, basil and parlsey.

Add the potatoes and other veggies, and some heavy cream. Low boil for about 30 minutes.

I make this a lot, and people love it, even my daughter's teen friends. You can use just potatoes, and it's fine, or add whatever sounds good. You could also boil some chicken ahead, chop it up and add it to the soup.

As far as what to keep on hand: vegetable stock is a must-have for any pantry. It's cheap, it doesn't require refrigeration, and has a long shelf-life. And as long as you have a good selection of spices, you can season the soup to your liking.
posted by The Deej at 6:39 AM on August 15, 2007

We've called this German potatoes, although I can't verify the German origin:

- small chunks of 1 or 2 potatoes
- onion, cut up
- green pepper, cut up
- a clove or two of garlic
- a few eggs
- cheddar cheese
- vegetable oil
- hot sauce

Fry up the potatoes and garlic, add the green pepper, fry a little longer and add the onion. When all that's cooked, add the eggs and turn gently, cover with a plate for a couple minutes. After eggs are cooked, turn off burner, top with cheese (can use plate to seal and melt cheese) and, if you're me, douse in hot sauce. Yum.
posted by letahl at 6:42 AM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Shoot, I forgot the kielbasa! Throw some of that in there too to make it German.
posted by letahl at 6:42 AM on August 15, 2007

Add roasted garlic to your mashed potatoes! Muuuuch, much better than regular potatoe's.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 10:41 AM on August 15, 2007

Dont forget Gnocchi - that's mostly potatoes
posted by elendil71 at 2:12 PM on August 15, 2007

Oven fries.

Take a spud or two, slice 'em into wedges, and put 'em on a greased up baking pan. Salt and pepper and add any other seasoning ya want. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, take 'em out, flip 'em, season the other side, bake for 20 more minutes.

Enjoy.
posted by SansPoint at 10:24 PM on August 19, 2007