Grown for millennia in Peru and introduced to the rest of the world in the 16th century, the humble potato has become a mainstay of culinary creations across the globe, albeit presented in different forms. From buttery mashed potatoes and irresistible street food snacks to deep-fried delights and pillowy dumplings, here we reveal the greatest potato dishes in the world, counting down to the one we consider the very best of all.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the world’s tastiest potato dishes.
We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each dish in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
Made with eggs, butter and cheese and piped into swirls, this elegant potato dish is entirely befitting of its name – egg yolks gift the finely riced potatoes a lovely golden colour, velvety texture and rich, indulgent flavour. Various stories circulate as to the origins of the dish; it’s thought to have first appeared in print in France the 1700s, while some suggest that it was invented when the Royal Duchess of England visited King Louis and, keen to impress, the dish was named in her honour.
A staple dish eaten widely across several African countries and South Africa, African stewed potatoes (also called African hot pot) consists of potatoes cooked in a tomato and onion sauce, along with various other vegetables (usually peppers) and plenty of garlic and spices. It’s sometimes made with meat or crayfish, depending on where you are. The Ethiopian variant of the dish, yataklete kilkil, includes carrots and green beans.
Bratkartoffeln is a much-loved German dish consisting of diced or sliced potatoes, which are fried along with a dry-cured smoked bacon called bauchspeck, as well as onions and herbs, until the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. A firm favourite in the country since the 19th century, bratkartoffeln is often served as an accompaniment to schnitzel or currywurst and is particularly good with fried eggs.
Simple yet delicious, the classic Aussie potato bake sees slices of potato layered with onions, cream and cheese. The result is a dish that’s wonderfully rich, creamy and gooey on the inside, with an irresistibly golden, cheesy top. Often served as part of a barbecue spread, the dish is similar to a number of other popular potato bakes from around the world – gratin dauphinois, potato casserole, scalloped potatoes and funeral potatoes included.
Boulangère potatoes sees thinly sliced potatoes, onions, fresh thyme and butter cooked slowly in vegetable stock in a low oven, until the potatoes are meltingly tender. Also known as pommes boulangère, this dish is centuries old and roughly translates as baker’s potatoes – it originated in rural France when villagers who were too poor to own an oven would prepare the dish, then bring it to the local bakery (boulangerie) to be cooked in the bread ovens.
Both hugely flavourful and beautifully presented, causa is arguably Peru’s most popular potato dish. Its origins are hotly debated, with some believing its earliest form dates as far back as pre-Columbian times. Served cold, this ring-shaped dish features layers of creamy mashed potatoes laced with lime and aji amarillo (yellow chilli pepper) and a zingy salad. The salad filling varies from region to region, but often includes a mix of protein (usually chicken or seafood), avocado, tomatoes and boiled eggs.
Old-school and utterly indulgent, pommes fondants (fondant potatoes) are a French restaurant classic that dates back to the 19th century. They’re traditionally made by cutting potatoes into cylinder-shapes, then quickly searing the ends in butter. The potatoes are then roasted whole in more butter and later chicken or beef stock, with herbs and garlic also added to the mix. The result is a potato that’s golden all over and hugely flavourful, with a crisp top and bottom and a meltingly soft centre (pommes fondants translates to ‘melting potatoes’).
A classic American dish, the simple culinary triumph that is thin, crispy French fries topped with chilli and shredded cheese and cooked until the cheese is melted, gooey and bubbling has a much-debated origin story. The invention of the dish is often attributed to a Texan teenager who put the ingredients together while eating lunch at a Dairy Queen in Tomball, Texas. That said, in Missouri, it’s believed that the dish was created by two Dairy Queen waitresses and served as an unofficial special.
A classic Lebanese dish, batata harra is Arabic for spicy potatoes and consists of potato cubes that are first deep fried, before being transferred to a pan and shallow fried with olive oil, garlic, chilli and red pepper flakes, until crispy, crunchy and golden. They’re showered with lemon juice and fresh coriander to serve and are often enjoyed as part of a mezze platter or stuffed inside flatbreads.
Nothing short of a taste sensation, batata vada are spiced potato balls which are coated with chickpea (gram) flour and deep fried, then served with coriander chutney. The potato filling for these crisp, moreish mouthfuls, which originated in the Indian state of Maharashtra, will vary depending on where you are in the country and the spices used. In South India, they’re known as potato bonda.
Kartoffelklösse – or German potato dumplings – are a much-loved comfort food made by combining mashed potato with egg and flour, then forming the mixture into balls. The dumplings are then either simply boiled, or boiled then fried in butter, and are often served with chopped crispy bacon and sauerkraut and sometimes accompanied by gravy or a creamy sauce. The potato mix can also be wrapped around a meat, ham or sauerkraut filling before being cooked.
A go-to dish for many, potato salad is enjoyed all over the world, with well-known variations in Germany, Japan, the UK, South Africa, Scandinavia, the US, Russia and Canada. In Germany, the dish is known as kartoffelsalat and sees boiled, sliced potatoes combined with diced onions and a vinaigrette-like mix made from beef broth, white vinegar, oil and mustard. In America, a classic potato salad will usually feature diced hard-boiled eggs, creamy mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish. The Scandinavian interpretation meanwhile is rich with sour cream, fresh dill and punchy capers.
A classic apres-ski dish, hearty tartiflette was born in the French Alps in the 1980s. This winter warmer is made with potatoes, garlic, onions, smoked bacon or lardons and white wine and is often crowned, rather decadently, with a whole Reblochon cheese. The dish is then baked until the cheese is melting, bubbling and golden. A perfect sharing food, it’s served piping hot and usually accompanied by a crisp green salad and glass of dry white wine. Tartiflette is also popular in Italy and Switzerland.
An Irish classic, potato farls are a soft potato bread, sometimes called potato cakes, included in many Irish breakfasts. They’re made from a mix of potato and flour, which is shaped into a round and cut into quarters (farls meaning ‘fourths’), then cooked on a griddle or in the oven. Often likened to the Scottish tattie (potato) scone, they’re a comforting treat that’s served warm, usually dripping with melted butter.
The potato pakora – otherwise known as aloo pakora – is an immensely popular Indian street food snack that’s loved around the world. Similar in someways to Japanese tempura, disks of potato are covered in a chickpea (gram) flour batter seasoned with spices, then deep fried until the potato rounds are fluffy on the inside and crisp and golden on the outside. Once cooked, they’re served with chutney for dipping. Pakora come in many different guises – potatoes are often combined with other vegetables or pieces of meat before being doused in batter and fried.
A wonderfully comforting dish of buttery mash and greens (usually kale or cabbage), colcannon is entirely synonymous with Ireland, where it has been enjoyed since the 1700s at least. Although it’s eaten throughout the year, colcannon is particularly associated with Halloween, when it's studded with coins, rings and thimbles to help diners discover their fortune for the year ahead. Often served with corned beef, boiled ham or Irish bacon, it’s also delicious enough to be devoured on its own.
Endlessly versatile and utterly moreish, croquettes are a French invention that’s adored around the world – and for good reason. This delicious snack sees fluffy mashed potato mixed with a buttery béchamel and a finely chopped filler – think ham, cheese, fish, meat or vegetables –, then formed into cylinder-shapes and coated in breadcrumbs. To finish, these tasty morsels are deep fried until crispy and crunchy on the outside. Derived from the French word croquer, meaning ‘to crunch’, croquettes as we know them today were first described in a cookery book dating back to 1822.
One of Poland’s most traditional dishes, these dumplings have a flour and water dough shell and are usually filled with cheesy, creamy mashed potatoes and served with an onion butter sauce, crispy bacon and fried onions, as well as sour cream. You'll also find pierogi filled with minced meat, mushrooms, sauerkraut or even strawberries and blueberries. Recipes for these little parcels started to appear in Polish cookbooks from the 1600s and they remain hugely popular today.
Gloriously simple yet entirely delicious when done right, the humble jacket potato – or baked spud – is comfort food at its finest. A mainstay on café lunch menus across the UK, they’re devoured with gusto on Bonfire Night and are a failsafe weeknight supper, particularly when served with lashings of butter, baked beans and cheese. The secret to a sensational jacket potato – we’re talking a crunchy, crackly outer shell with a light and fluffy centre – lies in the cooking. For best results, bake in a piping hot oven for around an hour, until the skin is crisp and the potato has just a little give to it.
A dish with a history, latkes are made from grated, raw potatoes bound with flour and some form of shortening and fried until golden and crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Originally thought to have been made with cheese, potatoes started to be added to the mix in the 1800s, after the vegetable was introduced to Eastern Europe. An important part of Jewish culinary tradition, latkes are made to celebrate Hanukkah, but are also enjoyed all year round, often served with sour cream and apple sauce.
Comforting, filling and undeniably moreish, gnocchi are a form of Italian dumpling, made with a potato-based dough that's usually formed into a sausage-shape and cut into bite-size pieces. A traditional type of pasta, the dish dates back to Roman times, when it was made with flour and other readily available ingredients, including stale bread. Potato was introduced to the mix in the 19th century and has since become the undisputed main ingredient.
Taking jacket potatoes in a slightly different direction, hasselbacks are prepared by cutting baking potatoes thinly, without slicing all the way through, meaning that the potato pieces fan out at the top, while remaining intact at the bottom. They’re then doused with olive oil and butter (or a mixture of both) and roasted in the oven until crispy and golden on the outside and soft and tender within. A relatively young recipe for such a legendary potato dish, hasselback potatoes were invented at a Swedish restaurant called Hasselbacken in the 1950s.
The English food writer Hannah Glasse published what is believed to be the first written recipe for mashed potatoes in her 1747 book The Art Of Cookery, though some credit a French military pharmacist with discovering the dish. Despite their simplicity, there are myriad different ways of preparing mashed potatoes; some pummel their potatoes by hand, others prefer to blitz in a blender, while for many a potato ricer is the only tool for the job. Similarly, it’s a matter of taste as to how you flavour the dish; purists might prefer their potatoes plain, while for others the dish should be rich with cream and butter – French chef Joel Robuchon is famed for his legendary pommes purée, with its 50:50 ratio of potato and butter.
Usually consisting of grated raw or boiled potatoes fried with melted butter, salt and sometimes bacon fat, until crisp and beautifully golden on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, the rösti is a masterpiece of a potato dish. Originating in the 17th century in Switzerland, röstis were once considered a humble famer’s breakfast food, but are now revered as the country’s national dish. Onion, bacon, herbs and cheese all make welcome additions to the delicious mix.
Once of the most iconic of all Spanish dishes, this tapas highlight is made with tender, thinly sliced potatoes, onions and eggs gently cooked in oil. The hearty, disk-shaped delight is often served sliced or cut into slim wedges and is devoured in tapas bars all over the country (often with the addition of various vegetables or chorizo). While there are competing theories as to the origins of the Spanish omelette, many believe it was born in the Basque Country in the mid-19th century, when during the Carlist Wars, a general named Tomás de Zumalacárregui called for a nutritious dish that could easily feed his hungry army.
A popular Indian festival and street food snack, aloo chaat is made by frying potato cubes in oil until crispy. The potatoes are then topped with spices, sweet and sour chutneys, fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds, with chickpeas and crunchy noodles known as sev sometimes added to the mix. This tasty, tangy dish exists in various forms throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with recipes varying slightly from place to place.
Take sliced raw potatoes, mix in cream, garlic and nutmeg and bake until perfectly tender with a crisp, golden top and your table will be graced with this luxurious French classic. The origins for this creamy potato delight are somewhat hazy, though it’s largely agreed that the dish originates from the Dauphiné region of France and has been around for centuries. The traditional recipe calls for a handful of simple ingredients, with more recent interpretations adding cheese and bacon for extra indulgence.
An integral part of a British Sunday roast (and the highlight of the meal for many), golden, crunchy roasties are a thing of beauty. They're made by parboiling floury potatoes, then cooking them in a hot oven in hot fat – vegetable oil, olive oil, beef dripping and goose fat are all popular options. To ensure your roast potatoes crisp up properly, roughen up the edges after draining them (just tip back into the saucepan and give it a shake) and let them dry out fully before adding them to the hot fat.
Carb-heavy comfort food at its very finest, the origins of poutine – a tasty combination of crispy, crunchy French fries, fresh, creamy cheese curds and piping hot gravy – may well be contested, but what’s for certain is that this Canadian creation is one of the greatest potato-based dishes of all time. So adored is the dish that in Canada it’s sold everywhere from food trucks to high-end restaurants (and even at McDonald’s) and there’s an annual event dedicated to celebrating the delicacy – the Canadian Poutine Feast – that takes place across the country in different cities.
A staple of Spanish tapas menus for very good reason indeed, patatas bravas sees hot, crisp, golden nuggets of fried potato dressed with a piquant tomato sauce rich with onions, garlic, chilli and paprika. A generous drizzle of smooth and creamy aioli is arguably the only final flourish needed here, but the popular late-night snack is also often topped with chorizo, cured sausage or fried fish. The dish is generally thought to have originated in the taverns of Madrid around the 1600s, when potatoes were introduced to the country.
There are few things more utterly satisfying – and entirely delicious – than piping hot, perfectly seasoned, crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the inside French fries. Despite the name, they're generally regarded as originating from the French-speaking town of Namur in Belgium, though a competing theory says they were invented in Paris in the 1700s (it's here that America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, fell in love with French fries, later bringing the dish to the US via his talented enslaved chef, James Hemings). What isn't in dispute is that they’re adored around the world, whether eaten as fast food or forming the basis of gourmet creations.