50 best potato recipes, mashed and beyond

As the world’s third most important crop, potatoes, which are grown in more than 100 countries around the world, can produce more food per unit of water than any other major crop, according to the International Potato Center.

These impressive little tubers are indigenous to the Andes Mountains in South America, but they’ve spread around the world in just a few centuries. Researchers have identified more than 4,000 varieties of potato worldwide.

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Despite being such a diverse crop, most potatoes fall into one of two categories: starchy or waxy. Starchy potatoes, like the standard Idaho or russet, work best for dishes like mashed or baked potatoes; waxy ones, such as red potatoes and various fingerling varieties, are firmer and denser, and hold their shape when cooked - whether fried, roasted, or boiled. Sweet potatoes are from a different botanical family altogether and are only distantly related to the common potato, but we’ve included a few recipes for them here, since they may be used in ways similar to starchy potatoes and are increasingly popular for their high nutritional value.

There are, of course, countless way to cook potatoes. Lucky for you, The Daily Meal has curated a list of 50 of our favorite potato recipes. We have mashed, baked, boiled, and fried potatoes and more, paired with all sort of flavors combinations guaranteed to satisfy your hunger.

Rachael Pack contributed to this roundup.