18 Easy, Essential Potato Recipes to Know

Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes — The Spruce / Diana Rattray

If you're a potato lover, these are the 20 essential potato recipes you need to learn to make. They mostly require basic pantry ingredients, are fairly low on prep, and might just inspire you to include potatoes with every meal.

From classic baked and mashed potatoes to breakfast hash browns and home fries, healthy-ish versions of french fries and potato chips, and the most delicious-ever loaded baked potato soup, these are the potato recipes every home cook should know.

01 of 18

Perfect Baked Potatoes

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Want perfect, tender, crispy-skinned baked potatoes just like the ones served at steakhouses? This genius recipe delivers just that using only a baking potato, a bit of olive oil, and some kosher salt. They're great with just about any meal, from steaks and chops to a hearty bowl of chili.
02 of 18

Mashed Potatoes

The Spruce

What's the secret to getting a nice creamy, fluffy, lump-free mash every time? This recipe gives you the basic techniques for producing wonderful mashed potatoes that your family will demand on repeat. Any potato can be used in a mash, but you'll get the best results from starchy varieties such as Yukon Golds.
03 of 18

Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Use your Instant Pot to whip up the cheesy, creamy, tender, no-fail scalloped potatoes of your dreams. The staple side dish of thinly sliced potatoes and onions layered in a rich, seasoned cheese sauce and baked until golden and bubbly is perfect for weekend meals and holiday dinners alike. It's a cinch to prepare in the Instant Pot.
04 of 18

Easy Oven French Fries

The Spruce

Save calories, fat, and mess by baking your french fries in the oven instead of frying them on the stovetop. These fries are simple to prepare, take only 30 minutes in the oven, and make a crave-worthy accompaniment to burgers and steaks or a kid-pleasing after-school snack with ketchup.

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05 of 18

Home Fries

The Spruce / Christine Ma

Nothing says breakfast comfort food quite like a heaping pile of diner-style home fries. These ultimate home fries with a crispy outside and a soft, fluffy middle also make a great side dish for a meatloaf dinner. You only need four simple ingredients to make them, plus salt and pepper to taste.
06 of 18

Lemony Greek Potatoes

The Spruce

Lemony Greek potatoes are a wonderful Mediterranean side dish for roast chicken, grilled lamb, and cookout pork kabobs. This clever recipe sneaks in extra liquid to the roasting pan so the seasoned spuds steam as they cook. The result? The tenderest potatoes ever without the need for parboiling.
07 of 18

Spanish Omelet

The Spruce

Brunch is a great time to dig into a Spanish potato omelet (tortilla española). This tasty skillet strata of fried potatoes, onions, and eggs makes an excellent morning main dish with buttered baguette slices and a tossed green salad on the side. Or enjoy it on busy weeknights as a light dinner that you can pull together easily with pantry ingredients.
08 of 18

Air Fryer Latkes

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Crispy, oniony potato latkes are a staple of Jewish Hanukkah celebrations and delicious year-round. They are similar to hash browns but made with matzo meal instead of flour for binding. While classic fried latkes can leave your stovetop splattered with grease, these cook inside an air fryer using much less oil, yielding the ultimate crunchy latkes.

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09 of 18

French Pommes Aligot

The Spruce / Diana Mocanu

Cheesy, whipped potatoes (or pommes aligot if you're fancy) are a great example of how the French can turn the most humble ingredients into something extraordinary using culinary techniques that anyone can learn. This classic Gallic side dish adds hot crème fraîche and cheese to boiled potatoes and beats the ingredients until they form smooth ribbons. While the dish traditionally uses French Cantal cheese, you can substitute other melting cheeses, such as Gruyère, mozzarella, or even cheddar.
10 of 18

Loaded Baked Potato Skins

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Loaded potato skins are a popular, pub-style snack. Bake them up easily at home for game day gatherings, family movie nights, and after-school snacking. Feel free to tweak the toppings with favorite pizza add-ons, browned ground beef instead of bacon, or vegan additions.
11 of 18

Hash Brown Potatoes

The Spruce

Upgrade your usual sunny-side up egg with some scrumptious hash brown potatoes. They make a great addition to bacon and eggs at breakfast or an inspired side dish for corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. For the crispiest hash browns, squeeze out every drop of excess liquid possible after shredding them.
12 of 18

Creamy Potato Salad

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Try this creamy potato salad at your next cookout or picnic. Full of vibrant, French-inspired flavors, including fresh tarragon and spicy Dijon mustard along with salty capers and chopped hard-boiled eggs, this easy, delicious recipe puts a sublime spin on a salad bar classic.

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13 of 18

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

With all the flavors of your favorite loaded baked potato in a warming, rich, and creamy potato soup, this one-bowl wonder makes a great cold-weather meal with crusty bread. Use russet potatoes, which have the right starch content to create a satisfyingly thick soup.
14 of 18

Baked Potato Chips

The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

Have you ever wanted to try making your own potato chips at home? Consider this your go-to snacking recipe. These oven-baked potato chips taste amazing, are surprisingly easy to bake up, and leave out most of the fat (and all the unpronounceable chemicals) of store-bought versions.
15 of 18

Easy Skillet-Fried Potatoes

The Spruce

Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, these colorful skillet potatoes with red bell pepper and onion are ready in just 30 minutes. They make a tasty breakfast treat or an easy side dish at dinner. Use new potatoes or waxy red-skinned potatoes for the perfect texture when they're fried.
16 of 18

Potato Waffles

The Spruce / Pete Scherer

Blow the lid off your usual weekend breakfast by using your waffle iron to make giant potato waffles. You need only a few common pantry ingredients to create one insanely delicious crispy, fried potato waffle. Scale up the recipe up for big breakfasts or enjoy it solo for a yummy breakfast with minimal cleanup.

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17 of 18

Twice Baked Potatoes With Sour Cream and Chives

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Easy twice-baked potatoes are a nice alternative to plain potatoes at dinner, and can even serve as lunch on their own. Stuffed with a light, fluffy, tangy mash including sour cream, and topped with pretty green chives, they are a kid-favorite side dish that adults can enjoy, too. Make them up to two days ahead for the fridge, warming in a low oven to serve.
18 of 18

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

The Spruce

You need just some olive oil, kosher salt, and the dried seasonings of your choice to make classic oven-roasted potatoes. They are an easy, elegant side dish for roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or steak dinners, and you don't even need to break out your vegetable peeler. Leftovers make an excellent substitute for hash brown potatoes at breakfast, too.

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18 Essential Potato Recipes You Need to Know