Delicious Potato Recipes: Versatile Dishes for All

Potatoes can justifiably be considered the queen of side dishes, although that is not all they are used for. An entire menu can be prepared with potatoes and there are a thousand ways to prepare them. They are used all over the world in the most diverse ways and it is also difficult to make a choice of recipes as there are so many. Let's start with the classic side dish that we all love and always enjoy.

Roast potatoes in the oven

This is the classic side dish that is suitable for many types of main course dishes, especially roasts of both meat and fish. It is important to choose the type of potato well. For this dish, yellow potatoes are recommended, as they tend to remain firmer and more compact.

Needed for roast potatoes in the oven

• 1 kilogram of potatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• a few sage leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• plenty of olive oil

We recommend using a non-stick pan, as the potatoes tend to stick a lot and we also recommend not stirring the potatoes in the first 10 minutes of cooking.

Preparation for roast potatoes in the oven

Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them into not very small pieces, trying to make them the usual size. Now chop the garlic, rosemary sprig and sage very finely and add salt and pepper. With this chop season the potatoes that you have placed in the baking tin with about 100 grams of olive oil and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 40/45 minutes or until golden brown. Always serve freshly taken out of the oven.

Mashed potatoes

It's soft, it's thick and it's creamy. It is a favourite with children but also appeals to adults. It is the ideal side dish for roast and stewed meat, but also for a simple slice of meat cooked in oil or for a hamburger.

Also for this preparation, it is important to choose well the type of potato to use. A white potato is ideal.

Ingredients for mashed potatoes

• 1 kilogram of potatoes
• grams 100 of butter at room temperature
• grams 300 of whole milk
• salt to taste
• grams 30 of grated Parmesan cheese
• nutmeg to taste

Preparation of mashed potatoes

Wash the potatoes and without removing the skin, cook in plenty of water for about 40 minutes.

When the water boils, lower the heat to prevent the potatoes from breaking and absorbing too much water.

Remove the skins as soon as they are removed from the water and mash them in a potato masher. Heat the milk a little until it is lukewarm and add it to the potatoes, which you have meanwhile placed in a pan.

Slowly incorporate all the milk into the mashed potatoes, add salt and at this point add the butter that you have cut into small pieces and stir until it has melted completely. Last, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and stir again. Serve hot.

Potato omelette

Another classic side dish that, being substantial, can also be a complete main course.

Needed for potato omelette

• 600 g potatoes (yellow potatoes are recommended as they hold up better)
• 6 eggs at room temperature
• 120 g grated Parmesan cheese
• salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
• olive oil to taste
• a little chopped parsley.

Preparation of the potato omelette

Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into fairly thin rounds and put them in boiling salted water for about ten minutes.

Remove them from the water and let them dry. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg and then add the grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Mix everything well and at this point add the potatoes, stirring again.

In a fairly large frying pan (I suggest 26 or 28 cm) put a few tablespoons of olive oil and when it is hot, add the egg mixture with the potatoes.

Cook for about ten minutes, moving the omelette often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom, and then with the help of a lid or a large plate turn it over and cook for another 10 minutes or so. The potato omelette is delicious either hot or left to cool.

A tasty variation is to put half a chopped onion in oil and brown it before putting in the potato and egg mixture.

The parmesan cheese can also be replaced with shredded cheese, such as scamorza and caciotta.

Famous all over the world is the potato tortilla, one of the typical Spanish dishes. It is very simple to prepare. The difference with our omelette is that the potatoes are cut into the thinnest possible slices and fried in plenty of seed oil for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Now add a medium onion, also thinly sliced, to the potatoes and cook over a medium heat for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and try to dry the vegetables well from the seed oil. Beat the eggs, add salt and pepper and the potatoes and onions. Mix well and cook in a rather large non-stick frying pan with a little seed oil.

Potato croquettes

A delicious side dish for all kinds of meat, but also a delicious starter.

For this recipe, we start as always by using the most suitable potatoes. For croquettes, white ones are recommended because they are more floury and tend to fall apart when cooked.

What you need for the potato croquettes

• 600 g potatoes
• 3 whole eggs
• breadcrumbs as needed
• peanut oil as needed
• grated Parmesan cheese as much as needed
• a pinch of salt
• a few chopped parsley leaves.

Preparation of the potato croquettes

Cook the potatoes in their skins in plenty of salted water for about 30 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes).

Once cooked, remove the skin and mash them in a potato masher. In a bowl, beat two eggs with a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and a scant teaspoon of chopped parsley. Season with salt and mix well. The mixture should be firm and easy to shape. If necessary, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture better.

Make cylinders about 3 centimetres in diameter and 7 or 8 centimetres long.

Meanwhile, heat plenty of peanut oil in a rather large frying pan. The croquettes must float in the oil in order to cook well.

Now coat the croquettes in flour, then in beaten egg and finally in breadcrumbs. When the oil is hot enough, put the croquettes in and cook them, turning them often until they are golden brown. Don't put too many in at once because they risk breaking.

Dip them in blotting paper to remove excess oil and bring to the table.

There are several variations for the croquettes. You can put cheese such as scamorza cheese in small pieces in the mixture or even mortadella, also finely chopped.

Potato gateau

This very tasty first course originates from Naples, but is cooked all over southern Italy and Sicily. It is a potato flan enriched with cold meats and cheese.

Ingredients for 4 persons potato gateau

• 1 kilogram of white potatoes
• grams 150 of cooked ham
• grams 150 of mozzarella fior di latte
• grams 100 of provola cheese
• grams 100 of grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 eggs
• grams 60 of butter
• two tablespoons of whole milk
• two tablespoons breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation of potato gateau

Cook the potatoes still in their skins in plenty of water for about 35/40 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes).

Remove the potatoes, peel them and mash them in a potato masher to obtain a homogeneous mash.

Stir the butter, cut into chunks, into the potatoes until it has melted completely and add the two tablespoons of milk. Add half of the Parmesan cheese and the beaten eggs.

Cut the cooked ham into very small pieces and add to the mixture. Mix everything well, adjust the salt and pepper, and add the chopped parsley.

Place half of the mixture in a rectangular baking dish on a sheet of baking paper and spread it well over the entire surface of the baking dish.

Now cut the mozzarella and provola into thin slices and make a layer of these two cheeses.

Cover everything with the other half of the mixture, spreading it well.

Now sprinkle the two tablespoons of breadcrumbs and half of the grated Parmesan cheese over the entire surface. Add some butter flakes and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 35 or 40 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. Let it cool for about fifteen minutes before bringing it to the table.

Potato scones

These scones are suitable for an aperitif or as a bread substitute. They are tasty and easy to make and also quick to prepare.

Needed for the potato scones

• grams 600 of potatoes
• grams 120 of white flour type 00
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
• to fill the focaccia
• grams 100 of cooked ham
• grams 100 of provola or caciotta cheese.

Preparation of the potato focaccia

The classic potato focaccias are not stuffed, but you can choose to do so by putting cooked ham and cheese inside. This makes for a more complete and tasty dish.

Boil the potatoes whole without peeling them in plenty of boiling water for about 35 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes).

Once they are cooked, remove the skin and mash them in a potato masher.

Now add the beaten egg, flour, a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and with the resulting mixture make some fairly fine round shapes about 8 centimetres in diameter. Place a small piece of cooked ham and two or three cubes of cheese on top, place another round of dough on top, and bring the two sides together to close the whole filling.

Prepare as many flatbreads as you have dough and when they are ready, cook them in a non-stick pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil about 8-10 minutes per side or until the surface is golden brown. Let them cool a little and serve.

There are, however, many other recipes to make with potatoes, such as stuffed potatoes, duchess potatoes, potato balls, Chips (a favourite with children), caramelised potatoes, potato pastry, etc., which certainly deserve a second article.

See you soon then.