Chopped and fried
The
french fry may be the world's favorite way to eat a potato. The concept is simple: Cut potato into straws and deep fry. But getting creative with variations on the original is half the fun.
As for that name, it's unclear that the fry originated in France. Some claim they began in Belgium, where the salty delight was first encountered by American soldiers during World War I.
How thick you cut your fries -- or chips, as they're known in the UK, Australia and other places -- is a personal preference that affects the level of crunch and texture of the end result. Shoestring fries tend to be used for dishes like
steak-frites, while chunkier chips, splashed with with malt vinegar or ketchup, are favored for
fish and chips.
There's no dish more British than fish and chips.
Suzanne Plunkett/CNN
In Belgium,
frites with mayo -- or myriad other sauces -- are a point of national pride, and in the UK and Ireland,
curry or gravy chips make a useful late-night repast after several of your ales of choice. Aussies go mad for
chicken salt on their hot chips, and in Texas,
chili cheese fries give the dish the nachos treatment, loading up the fries with chili, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapeño peppers and other accoutrements.
Poutine, Canada
Apparently, waiters at one of the first restaurants to serve Quebec's now iconic dish grew tired of writing "fries, cheese curds and gravy," giving birth to the moniker "poutine," meaning pudding or a "mess."
More than one establishment lays claim to creating it. But no man has eaten more of it in one sitting than competitive eater Joey Chestnut, who, in 2019, ate a record 28 pounds of the stuff in 10 minutes at the Smoke's Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto. In the Northeast United States, you'll find a spin on poutine known as
disco fries -- topped with gravy and melted cheese -- in classic American diners.
Potato wedges/Jojo, United States/Australia
A popular bar snack in Australia (and well beyond) -- where they are often served with sweet chili sauce on the side
-- potato wedges are as advertised. A wedge of potato baked or, more commonly, fried, and usually seasoned with spices including paprika.
In the Northwestern United States, the
Jojo is often mistaken for a potato wedge -- but in fact, this local specialty is potato battered with a spiced breading similar to that on fried chicken.
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Fried potato dishes
There's more to the fried potato universe than fries alone. While these fried dishes might involve buckets of hot oil and calories, they make up for it in "just one more bite" addictive flavor.
Potato hash, United States
Often made with leftovers from holiday meals, potato hash is a breakfast dish that's just as tempting any other time of day. Whether reheating potatoes or baking a fresh batch, they should be diced before throwing into a skillet with your chosen accompaniments. Ree Drummond, the food blogger behind "The Pioneer Woman," favors bell peppers, squash, zucchini and onions. Once it's all cooked through and the potatoes are golden, serve with a fried egg on top.
Bubble and squeak, UK
On the other side of the pond, the concept of repurposing last night's dinner takes the form of bubble and squeak, which involves frying up leftover cabbage and other vegetables with the remaining mashed potatoes from a Sunday roast. The result resembles a quiche, which is often cut into wedges and served as a side dish. Or it can be the main attraction for a quick and easy lunch or dinner -- and, like a hash, enjoyed with a fried egg on top.
Hash browns, United States
Hash browns nestle alongside an Egg McMuffin at a McDonald's restaurant in Fairfield, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
According to
Dr. Potato (yep), processed hash browns first appeared in the States in the mid 1950s but
author Barry Popkik traces the term back to 1911. Like home fries, hash browns were often served in hotels and railroad dining cars before becoming a popular lunch counter and diner staple.
The dish -- diced or shredded potatoes fried into potato cake -- is now an integral part of the McDonald's breakfast menu, even if it plays more of a supporting role to the Egg McMuffin.
Tater tots, United States
A nostalgic TV dinner side, the tater tot is a true American success story. As
Eater chronicles, the bite-sized pieces of fried potato made their debut at the glamorous Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach -- introduced at the 1954 National Potato Convention by Oregon frozen potato entrepreneur F. Nephi Grigg.
After dominating the frozen-food aisle it was only natural that contemporary chefs would start to play with tots and give them a
gourmet spin.
Midwesterners (including,
famously, one-time presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar) also use tater tots to layer atop
Minnesota hot dish, a casserole of ground meat, vegetables (optional) and cheese or another creamy sauce. In Utah,
funeral potatoes use shredded hash brown potatoes in a similar hot dish that gets its name from its ubiquity at post-funeral gatherings.
Patatas bravas, Spain
If you can't get to Spain to sample the world's best patatas bravas, bookmark the Instagram account
@bravasbarcelona to whet your appetite. Self-professed "patatas bravas hunter" Edu González claims that the dish was first served in Madrid or Toledo in the 1950s, but the more popular story is that the tapas hit originated at Barcelona's Bar Tomás. What is undisputed is that these fried cubed potatoes, smothered in a spicy tomato-based sauce are
delicioso and
adictivo.
Potato scallops, Australia
Potato scallop, potato fritter or potato cake? Potato Potahto. Like their mates, the fish and chips, this fried delight actually originated in England. Doesn't matter; Aussies love them, often consuming scallops -- a thin slice of potato dipped in batter and deep-fried -- on hot summer days at the beach. In Sydney, the words "scallop" and "potato scallop" are interchangeable, and the kind you find in the ocean have been relegated to "sea scallops."
Potatoes sarladaise, France
This dish comes to us from the town of Sarlat in Périgord, the home of duck (or goose) confit and it's as simple as it is decadent. To make, slice potatoes and fry them in confit fat. Truffles, another local delicacy, are added for one more sucker punch of OTT flavor.
Kuku sibzamini, Iran
These Persian potato fritters are elevated by adding turmeric powder and saffron to the egg mixture that's combined with rough-mashed potatoes to form the patties. They're fried and served hot, with yogurt on the side.
Potato chips/crisps, UK/Ireland
Can't you almost taste the salt on your tongue?
Shutterstock
They're the hero of parties and the playground, and are one of the world's most beloved snack foods. But where did the potato chip come from? Apparently the origin story tracing it to New York's Saratoga Springs in 1853 is a myth, while the earliest known recipe is traced to Englishman William Kitchiner's 1817 book "The Cook's Oracle."
Potato chips remained unseasoned until the 1950s, when Joe "Spud" Murphy, owner of Ireland's Tayto crisp company, developed a technology to add flavoring during manufacturing. The result was the still iconic Tayto cheese and onion, and companies around the world soon rushed to follow suit.
Potato pancake dishes
Latkes, Eastern Europe
This fried potato pancake, traditionally served with sour cream and applesauce, is best known for its starring role in the traditions of Hanukkah. As Bruce Weinstein explains in "The Ultimate Potato Book," "folklore claims that the oil in the skillet reminds us of the oil lamps that miraculously burned for eight days."
Latkes sometimes get a bad rap for being bland, but chef Andrew Zimmern has a recipe for
"Killer Potato Latkes" that he likes to serve with applesauce, crème fraîche, smoked salmon, salmon roe and dill.
Rösti, Switzerland
It's the unofficial dish of Switzerland -- once eaten by farmers and now enjoyed by the masses. The word rösti means "crisp and golden," just as the sauteed potato fritter is best savored. In "The Ultimate Potato Book," Weinstein recommends using parboiled potatoes to ensure the perfect level of rösti crispiness.
Gamja jeon, Korea
A savory, highly customizable potato pancake traditionally eaten on rainy days in Korean homes. Gamja jeon pancakes are made with finely grated potato and onion and fried until golden.
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Baked and roasted potato dishes
Whether you like 'em small or chunky, soft or crispy, roast potatoes are a beloved side dish -- a holiday must-have. In Italian, they're patate al forno; Greeks roast their potatoes with lemon.
Loaded or dressed baked potatoes, on the other hand, can serve as a main meal, piled high with cheese, bacon and other calorific delights. Most recipes call for baking a potato in foil until soft, scooping out the flesh and mixing it with butter, sour cream, chives and your chosen ingredients before refilling the potatoes and popping them back in the oven for a quick finish.
Pommes Anna, France
It's so famous that there's a baking dish named after it, the la cocotte à pommes Anna. Before the potatoes go into the copper pan, they're peeled and sliced thin, and then layered with plenty of clarified butter and baked in their namesake dish until they resemble a cake. The next step is to flip the cake over to cook the other side -- a process the la cocotte à pommes Anna helps to simplify.
Potato gratin, France
Creamy and crispy: gratin Dauphinois potatoes.
Another popular way to eat potatoes in France is in the form of a gratin, a kind of fancy, creamy casserole finished with a browned crust. It's made by layering sliced boiled potatoes with cream or béchamel sauce and a cheese like gruyère, and baking until hot and inviting.
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