The humble potato is pretty much everyone's favorite comfort carb. It's the kind of thing that can be elevated fine dining, casual street food, or even a knock out drink!
Potatoes can be bread, pasta, a snack, a meal - or even an artistic medium and source of energy if you're not in the mood to actually eat the super spud.
Reddit user flacidballoon asked:
Hey Reddit, what's your favorite way to eat potatoes?
The result is an ode to the only root to ever derail a potential presidential campaign; and it is GLORIOUS. If you're low-carb or no-carb, you might want to skip this article. For the rest of us, grab your forks and let's get down.
Butter Butter Butter
It's kind of amazing how much butter you can get into finely mashed potatoes. Fine dining restaurants use about a 3:1 ratio (three pounds potatoes: one pound butter). Ridiculous.
- o_shrub
A famous chef actually used half and half. Apparently it tastes like heaven... Probably because you're considerably closer to going there if you eat it a lot.
If something tastes like heaven at a restaurant you can be quite sure it's because of excessive amounts of cream or butter in the dish.
Flavor Delivery Device
All potatoes are just flavor delivery devices. Potatoes are very bland, hence why nearly every method to prepare them uses tons of salt or other condiments.
Ever had unsalted french fries? Nasty.
Mashed potatoes without butter, salt and milk? Nasty.
Potatoes au-gratin? Tons of cheese, salt and cream.
Pommes dauphinoise? Again with the salt and cream.
Pommes Anna? Salt and butter.
Hasselback potatoes? Salt, butter and herbs.
Potatoes make a very good base to add other flavors to. It's all in how you prepare them. A baked potato is not fully prepared until you slather it with butter and other toppings. Just like mashed potatoes aren't fully prepared till you add the butter, milk and salt.
Source: classically trained chef.
Samwise Style
GiphyI liked them boiled. Or mashed. Maybe stick 'em in a stew.
What's taters, precious??
Hash Browns
Hash brown.
- Mr_Zacek
This. With extra crispiness on the outside
- dlrust
Non-crispy hash browns are a total why bother.
With a runny egg and country gravy on it.
Carne Asada Fries
Carne asada fries.
Someone wanna explain what this is? I know I could google but that doesn't help the next guy, or further the discussion. Carne is meat, what kind of meat? What does asada mean?
- Vranak
Carne Asada is a type of steak often used in Mexican food. Marinated, grilled, and thinly sliced. It's absolutely delicious. Carne Asada fries is just fries, steak, cheese, and then whatever other toppings you want (guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, etc).
Scalloped Does Not Mean Scallops... Or Cheese
Scalloped with lots of sharp cheddar.
I avoided them my whole childhood because I hate scallops, big mistake.
Me too! I never really asked I just heard and declined immediately, with that kind of name I must not like them. I went like 15 years without the deliciousness in my life. Who wouldn't like potatoes with tons of cheese?
- claryn
My grandma made the BEST scalloped potatoes. Thin sliced so all potatoes were tender, lots of cheese plus some (I think) sour cream to make it all creamy. Tissue-thin onions that melted into the cheese sauce.
She's been gone 7 years. My aunt makes them every holiday, but she's a joke of a cook and takes short cuts so it's all crap. I know I could recreate it, so could my mom. But, it's just not the same. You KNOW it's not made by grandma.
I miss my grandma.
- Lo452
Here is my weird hill to die on. Scalloped potatoes do not have cheese! I love cheese so much, BUT scalloped potatoes should be a white sauce. If including cheese you are now making potatoes au gratin. I am the type of cook who will at least double the cheese in any recipe, but we grew up eating scalloped ham and potatoes on special occasions and there was no cheese.
Thank you! I was dumbfounded everyone was agreeing and no one was pointing this out.
Pickled
GiphyNot my favorite way per se, but a way that I just tried recently. Pickled potatoes.
The Mexican restaurant on the corner serves pickled potatoes alongside their pickled jalapenos. I decided to give them a try. Sliced potatoes 1/4" thick and boiled them for about 10 minutes until they were edible but firm. I packed them in a jar with 50/50 vinegar/water and 2 tbsp of salt. Other herbs and spices to taste. I used oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper.
After a week in the fridge, they're a great beer snack. Also add carrots and jalapenos to the same batch for a variety of pickles in a single jar.
- NewRelm
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