Potato
The humble potato is one of the most versatile, satisfying, and universally loved vegetables in the American kitchen.
In a nutshell
Potatoes are starchy tubers grown worldwide and a staple in virtually every cuisine. They range from waxy varieties that hold their shape in salads to fluffy russets that mash like a dream. Naturally low in fat and sodium, they’re a filling, affordable foundation for countless meals.
Nutrition
≈ 10 Calories and 0g fat per tablespoon.
Potatoes deliver a solid hit of complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, along with roughly 2 grams of protein per 100 grams — modest but respectable for a vegetable. They’re a meaningful source of vitamin C and potassium, the latter supporting healthy blood pressure. The skin is where much of the dietary fiber lives, so leaving it on bumps up gut-health benefits considerably. Potatoes also contain B6 for brain health and resistant starch (especially when cooked and cooled), which feeds beneficial gut bacteria and blunts blood sugar spikes. Nutrition per 100g via Spoonacular.
Culinary uses & pairings
Potatoes shine across nearly every cooking method. Roast them with olive oil and herbs for crispy edges, boil waxy varieties for potato salad, or bake russets whole for a classic loaded baked potato. They thicken soups and chowders beautifully and form the base of dishes like shepherd’s pie, hash browns, and home fries.
In more refined applications, potatoes become silky vichyssoise, pillowy gnocchi, crispy rösti, or twice-baked shells stuffed with cheese and herbs. They also serve as a neutral canvas for bold flavors — think curry-spiced aloo, Spanish patatas bravas, or French gratin dauphinois — making them indispensable across global cuisines.
Pairs well with
Substitutions
Buying & storage
Look for potatoes that are firm and smooth with no soft spots, sprouts, cracks, or green patches — that green tinge indicates solanine, a toxic compound that develops with light exposure. Choose the right variety for the job: russets for baking and mashing, Yukon Golds for a buttery all-purpose option, and red or fingerling potatoes for salads and roasting. Avoid bags with visible moisture inside, which signals rot is starting.
Varieties
- Russet (Idaho): The high-starch workhorse of American kitchens — fluffy when baked, ideal for mashing and frying into crispy fries.
- Yukon Gold: Medium starch with a naturally buttery, golden flesh; versatile enough for mashing, roasting, soups, and gratins.
- Red potato: Waxy and low-starch; holds its shape beautifully when boiled or roasted, making it the go-to for potato salad.
- Fingerling: Small, elongated, and waxy with a nutty flavor; outstanding roasted whole with herbs and olive oil.
- Purple/Blue potato: Striking color that holds partially through cooking; slightly earthy flavor and a waxy to medium texture.
- New potato: Not a distinct variety but any young, freshly harvested potato with thin skin, a sweet flavor, and a creamy texture.
Recipes using potato
431 recipes across our recipe sites use potato. A few favorites:
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History & origin
The potato originated in the Andes mountains of South America, where Indigenous peoples in present-day Peru and Bolivia domesticated it roughly 8,000 years ago. Spanish conquistadors brought it to Europe in the mid-1500s, and it spread slowly at first — Europeans were suspicious of this unfamiliar tuber. By the 18th century it had transformed the diets of working-class Europeans, particularly in Ireland and Germany, where it became a dietary cornerstone. The catastrophic Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans, killed over a million people and drove millions more to emigrate, including waves who reshaped American culture. Today the potato is the fourth most important food crop in the world after wheat, rice, and corn.
How it’s made
Potatoes are grown from seed potatoes — small tubers or cut pieces of tuber with at least one eye — rather than true seeds. Farmers plant them in loose, well-drained soil in spring, and the plants develop underground tubers as they mature over roughly 70 to 120 days depending on variety. After the foliage dies back, tubers are mechanically harvested, then cured at around 50°F to 65°F (10°C to 18°C) for one to two weeks to toughen the skin and heal surface cuts, then graded and stored in climate-controlled warehouses where they can keep for several months before reaching grocery shelves.
Good to know
- A single medium potato with the skin on provides about 30% of the Daily Value for vitamin C — more than many people expect from a starchy vegetable.
- The word “spud” for potato likely comes from a 19th-century spade-like tool used to dig them up, not from an acronym as internet legends claim.
- Potatoes are about 80% water by weight, which is part of why they steam so effectively from the inside when baked whole.
- NASA and the University of Wisconsin collaborated to grow potatoes in simulated space conditions in 1995 as part of research into extraterrestrial food production.
- Cooling a cooked potato significantly increases its resistant starch content, meaning a cold potato salad is technically more beneficial for gut bacteria than a hot one.
