10 delicious potato side dishes: the right recipes and the right tips

Fried, baked, sautéed or boiled: potatoes are always good! A poor ingredient that can be prepared in a thousand ways. Potatoes are the protagonists of nutritious, tasty and easy to prepare side dishes; excellent to accompany meat or fish main courses, perfect for delicious appetizers. Everyone likes potatoes, so let's see with these recipes how to best use them.

1.Baked potatoes

A timeless classic, the star of Sunday family lunches; baked potatoes are good, fragrant and easy to prepare. Clean and peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes or wedges possibly of equal size in order to obtain a homogeneous cooking. Let them rest in cold water so that they lose the starch for at least 30 minutes, changing the water from time to time. Drain and dry them, start heating the oven to 350 degrees F, when it is hot, arrange the potatoes on an oiled baking dish making sure that they do not overlap each other; add the salt, unpeeled garlic and a sprig of rosemary. Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F, raising the temperature in the last minutes to obtain a tasty crust.

2. Stuffed baked potatoes

A creamy and flavorful variant of the classic baked potatoes – stuffed potatoes are really easy to make. Carefully wash the potatoes, you will have to cook them without peeling them and it is very important that they are well cleaned. Cut the upper part that you will then need to close them, cook them in a convection oven at 320 degrees F with the open side facing up for 20 minutes. To prevent them from drying out, cover them with aluminum foil while cooking. When they are baked, help yourself with a spoon to dig out the pulp. In the meantime, prepare your filling; there are many variations all very tasty. Try stuffing them with mozzarella cheese and cubes of ham, add them to the potato pulp creating a creamy filling, stuff the empty potatoes, close with the top and brown them in the grill oven for 5 minutes. Also try the recipe for baked potatoes with bacon and cheese, a real explosion of taste!

3. Mashed potatoes

A recipe loved by young and old, a creamy side dish perfect to accompany a main course of meat. Wash and boil the peeled potatoes until cooked (use a knife to check), drain and remove the peel. Put the potatoes in a potato masher and in a saucepan cook the puree obtained over low heat, adding salt, pepper, a knob of butter and milk. Stir until you get a creamy puree. For a stronger flavor you can add grated parmesan cheese.

4. Potatoes in foil

The recipe for potatoes in foil is of Bavarian origin, a really easy preparation to make. Thoroughly wash the potatoes to be cooked with the skin, cut them, add salt and pepper and bake them in the oven at 390 degrees F for 50 minutes wrapped in a sheet of aluminum foil. Prepare an emulsion with sour cream and chopped chives, as soon as the potatoes are ready and still hot pour the flavored cream and serve.

5. French fries

A side dish that everyone loves, fried potatoes are a sin of gluttony that we cannot give up. Crunchy and fragrant, to accompany with a homemade mayonnaise sauce or enjoyed as a snack, fried potatoes are always good. Wash and peel the potatoes, boil them for a few minutes and drain them. Cut them into cubes or sticks, heat the oil in a non-stick pan and when it is hot add the potatoes, halfway through cooking to get even more delicious potatoes add a knob of butter. Cook until your potatoes are golden brown.

6. Crumb-coated potatoes

Crumb-coated potatoes are a crunchy variation of classic baked potatoes. Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and toss in a large bowl with breadcrumbs, oil, thyme, salt, garlic powder and grated parmesan cheese. Stir until the potatoes are well seasoned. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of parchment paper, add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and cook at 390 degrees F for 30 minutes.

7. Potatoes rosti

Potatoes rosti are nice fritters of Swiss origin, an easy preparation to make for a delicious side dish that can also be served as an appetizer. Wash, peel and grate with a grater with large holes, add the potato starch, a pinch of salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese. With your hands, knead the dough into pancakes, cook in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of boiling oil for about 10 minutes, turning your fritters halfway through cooking.

8. Sicilian potatoes 

Directly from the Sicilian tradition, a sweet and sour potato side dish that will conquer your palate. Clean, peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. In a non-stick pan, cook the onion cut into slices until golden brown, at this point add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Clean the capers with cold water in order to remove the excess salt. Coarsely cut the olives and add them to the potatoes together with a glass of water and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. When the water has evaporated, add a spoonful of sugar and a glass of vinegar to the potatoes, mix carefully without breaking the potatoes and cook for about 3 minutes.

9. Curry potatoes

The recipe is of Indian origin and in a short time it has become famous all over the world, a perfumed side dish perfect for a dinner with an oriental flavor. Wash and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, when cooked, drain and remove the peel, then cut them into cubes. Take a non-stick pan and heat the chopped onion in a drizzle of oil, then add the potatoes and curry, mix carefully so that the curry flavors all the potatoes. Cook over low heat for 15/20 minutes, adding half a glass of water if necessary halfway through cooking.

10. Potatoes in a pan

Easy, quick, tasty, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside; pan-fried potatoes are a very easy side dish to prepare. Clean, peel and cut the potatoes into wedges; leave them in cold water for 20 minutes, drain and dry them. Chop the garlic and heat it in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, add the potatoes making sure they do not overlap each other, in this way you will obtain a homogeneous cooking. Cook for a few minutes over high heat, then lower the heat, add a pinch of salt, rosemary and thyme. Cover with a lid and cook for 10/15 minutes, stirring occasionally.