Easy potato recipes for dinner, sides, and snacks

Updated October 6, 2026

Have sprouted or green potatoes? Jump to Are sprouted or green potatoes safe?

Roasted potatoes (about 40 minutes, serves 4)

Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut 2 pounds of potatoes into 1½-inch chunks, toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and some pepper, and spread them out on a sheet pan with space between the pieces. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once halfway, until crisp and golden.

Smashed potatoes (about 45 minutes, serves 4)

Boil 1½ pounds of small potatoes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain, put them on an oiled sheet pan, and flatten each one with the bottom of a glass. Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 450°F (230°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are crunchy.

Loaded baked potatoes (about 1 hour, serves 4)

Scrub 4 russet potatoes, prick them a few times with a fork, rub with oil and salt, and bake directly on the oven rack at 400°F (200°C) for 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Split them open and top with cheese, sour cream, green onion, or leftover chili.

Cut 1 pound of potatoes into wedges or 1-inch cubes, toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and your seasoning, and air-fry at 400°F (200°C) for 18 to 22 minutes, shaking the basket two or three times, until crisp. They usually cook faster than in the oven.

• Potato soup (about 40 minutes): soften a chopped onion in butter, add 2 pounds of diced potatoes and 4 cups of broth, simmer until tender, then blend with a cup of milk. A good way to use up milk too.
• Potato curry (about 35 minutes): potatoes, onion, and carrots simmered in curry sauce and served over rice. One pot makes several meals.
• Potato hash (about 25 minutes): diced potatoes fried with onions and whatever meat or vegetables are left, topped with a fried egg cooked until the yolk is firm.

Green patches and sprouts mean the potato has more solanine, a natural toxin, concentrated in the sprouts, green skin, and the area around the eyes.

• If the potato is firm and has only small sprouts or skin-deep greening, cut away the entire sprout and every green-tinged part before cooking.
• If the greening goes into the flesh, throw the potato away. Never eat a potato that's green beneath the skin.
• Toss it if the sprouts are long (about 1 inch or more) and the potato has gone soft or shriveled.

[1]

When in doubt, throw it out.

Store potatoes outside the refrigerator, in a dark, cool place such as a closet or pantry.[2] Somewhere around 45 to 50°F, dry and well ventilated, is ideal. Cold temperatures turn some of the starch into sugar, so fridge-stored potatoes taste sweeter and brown more when cooked, and light makes them turn green faster.[1]

For more on dates and storage, see Best by, use by, sell by.

These are general guidelines. If it smells, looks, or feels off, don't eat it.