A Definitive Ranking of Classic Potato Dishes

Few foods are as remarkably versatile and delicious in so many forms as the humble potato.

The iconic tuber is equally suited to being a delectable snack, the ultimate side dish or the star of the meal, and it can be crunchy, tender, crisp, soft and everything in between, depending on the preparation. Basically, we're infatuated with potatoes in all situations, but there are some dishes we find even more irresistible than the others. Below is our definitive ranking of the most classic potato dishes, from tasty to mind-meltingly scrumptious.

9. Potato Chips

We'll start this off by staying that we love potato chips. However, it'll never be our very favorite way to enjoy potatoes. While we do love extra crunchy texture, achieved by slicing the potato into extra thin chips before deep frying, the flavor of the potato tends to play second fiddle to any flavorings. We rarely eat plain potato chips, instead preferring bold barbecue or jalapeño flavorings, to the point that we kind of forget we're eating potatoes at all.

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8. Potato Salad

We'd also say we're bigger-than-average fans of potato salad, but overall, this dish is never that exciting. It typically consists of boiled potatoes that are then sliced into bite-sized chunks and tossed with a mayonnaise-based sauce, plus veggies and seasonings. It can be quite good—especially with some of our favorite additions, like bacon and egg—but the potatoes are often either too mushy or too hard for the salad, and while it's often seen as a summer picnic food, we think potato salad and a hot day outdoors don't really mix.

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7. Oven Roasted Potatoes

Over the years, we've had oven-roasted potatoes in a few forms, from the classic basic potatoes baked in the oven to extra-crisp kind typically served with roasts. They're best when they're crunchy on the outside and remarkably tender in the center. Still, even with flavorful seasonings, they don't tend to stand out on their own, feeling like a side that stands separately from the mind dish.

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Also read about: A Definitive Ranking of the 10 Most Popular Pizza Toppings

 

6. Baked Potato

Okay, baked potatoes might be cheating a little bit, because while the key ingredient is just a massive potato, cooked to tender perfection in the oven, it gets all of its deliciousness from getting topped with the most mouth-watering ingredients imaginable. There's something about the addition of things like cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives that works beautifully with the texture of the soft potato and its skin. The same goes for loaded potato skins.

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5. Hash Browns

As avid breakfast lovers, we'll always have a soft spot for hash browns. Whether you like the fast food variety that come in fried patties, the diced hash browns or the shredded diner style, there's no denying that they're delicious and a wonderful complement to different breakfast foods. Our favorite will always be the diner style because of the variation and textures, with the soft potato shreds in the center pairing with the pieces that get crisped up on the griddle.

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4. Latkes

We'll admit that latkes aren't a regular fixture in our lives, but we always jump at the opportunity to enjoy these rich potato pancakes. They consist of shredded potatoes, traditionally mixed with flour, egg and diced onion, which are fried in patties and served with either applesauce or sour cream. They're a bit like an elevated take on the hash brown, and we also love that they can be enjoyed with either a sweet or savory twist.

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Also read about: A Definitive Ranking of Fruit Snack Flavors

 

3. French Fries

We can't imagine that we'd ever get sick of french fries. They come in so many forms—wedges, waffle, crinkle-cut, steak, Belgian, shoestring and more—but every one gets its snackability from a soft center wrapped by a wonderful fried texture. They're the ideal pairing to so many foods, such as hamburgers and chicken nuggets, that it's hard for us to imagine eating one without the other, and a dash of salt makes them extra craveable.

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2. Au Gratin

There's no doubt that potatoes au gratin is the most elevated dish on this list, and maybe it's the fact that we only ever have it on special occasions that it holds such a special place in our hearts. The French dish consists of thinly sliced potatoes baked in a lusciously creamy cheese sauce, making it wonderfully warm and hearty. We'll always be partial to the caramelized bits from the top layer, but all of the textures in au gratin continuously keep us coming back for more.

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1. Mashed Potatoes

And finally, this may be a controversial opinion, but we think the best thing you can do with a potato is to mash it. This somehow creates the ultimate side, not just complementing many dishes, but becoming essential to the overall appeal of the meal. Mashed potatoes also come in different styles, from extra-fine and smooth to chunky and wholesome, with or without the peel, as well as flavors. While we love mashed potatoes extra buttery, with additions like garlic, cheese, sour cream and more, we've even enjoyed mashed potatoes with no seasonings at all, allowing the flavors of the meat and gravy of the dishes to speak for themselves.

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For even more foodie rankings, click HERE to find our where your favorite classic sandwich landed on our list.