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The very best potato dishes have earned a special place in kitchens across the world thanks to their rich flavours, comforting textures, and endless variety. Potatoes have been a staple in Peruvian cuisine for thousands of years and are now a favorite food around the world.
Each country has a signature dish, whether it's creamy French favourites, crispy German dishes, spicy Lebanese potato, or colourful Peruvian specialties. Baked, mashed, fried, roasted, stewed, the potato is a versatile vegetable to be sure. Here you'll find some of the absolute best potato recipes from around the world, as well as the stories and flavors behind each of them.
The Very Best Potato Dishes from Around the World
Here are the very best potato dishes from around the world, each showcasing unique flavours, traditional cooking methods, and local culinary heritage. From creamy French classics to crispy German favourites and spicy Lebanese recipes, these iconic potato dishes are loved by food enthusiasts across the globe.
Potato perfection
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.
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Duchess potatoes, France
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; enthusiasts think it first appeared in print in France during the 1700s, while some suggest that a chef invented it when the Royal Duchess of England visited King Louis and, keen to impress, named the dish in her honour.
African stewed potatoes, various countries:
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, Germany
Bratkartoffeln is a much-loved German dish consisting of diced or sliced potatoes, which chefs fry 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, chefs often serve bratkartoffeln as an accompaniment to schnitzel or currywurst and it is particularly good with fried eggs.
Aussie potato bake, Australia
Simple yet delicious, the classic Aussie potato bake layers slices of potato 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. The dish often features as part of a barbecue spread and 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, France
Boulangère potatoes feature 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 prepared the dish, then brought it to the local bakery (boulangerie) to cook in the bread ovens.
Causa, Peru
Both hugely flavourful and beautifully presented, causa is arguably Peru’s most popular potato dish. Its origins spark hot debates, with some believing its earliest form dates as far back as pre-Columbian times. Chefs serve this ring-shaped dish cold, featuring 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 cooks often include a mix of protein (usually chicken or seafood), avocado, tomatoes and boiled eggs.
Pommes fondantes, France
Old-school and utterly indulgent, pommes fondants (fondant potatoes) stand as a French restaurant classic that dates back to the 19th century. Chefs traditionally make them by cutting potatoes into cylinder shapes, then quickly searing the ends in butter.
Cooks then roast the potatoes 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’).
Chilli cheese fries, USA
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.
A Texan teenager often takes credit for inventing the dish by putting the ingredients together while eating lunch at a Dairy Queen in Tomball, Texas. That said, in Missouri, two Dairy Queen waitresses are believed to have created the dish and served it as an unofficial special.
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Batata harra, Lebanon
A classic Lebanese dish, batata harra is Arabic for spicy potatoes and consists of potato cubes that cooks first deep fry, before cooks transfer them to a pan and shallow fry with olive oil, garlic, chilli and red pepper flakes, until crispy, crunchy and golden. Cooks shower them with lemon juice and fresh coriander to serve and people often enjoy them as part of a mezze platter or stuffed inside flatbreads.
FAQs
1. What's the best potato dish in the world?
Some of the best potato recipes are Duchess Potatoes, Causa, Bratkartoffeln, Boulangère Potatoes, Batata Harra, Pommes Fondantes, Aussie Potato Bake, African Stewed Potatoes and Chilli Cheese Fries.
2. What is the country where potato dishes are popular?
Peru is regarded as the origin of the potato, as are France, Germany, Lebanon, Australia and the United States for their classic potato recipes.
3. What is the most popular French dish that uses potatoes?
Potato dishes are renowned in France, with some dishes being particularly popular such as Duchess Potatoes, Boulangère Potatoes, and Pommes Fondantes which are known for their rich taste and elegant preparation.
4. Why are potatoes popular around the world?
Potatoes are not only inexpensive and nutritious but they also are flexible and ready to be used in a wide variety of dishes and recipes around the world.
5. Who is the author of the book that is more popular for 1st-time eaters?
If you're unfamiliar with potato dishes from different countries, try something like an Aussie Potato Bake, Chilli Cheese Fries, Batata Harra or Duchess Potatoes, which have familiar flavors but some regional twists.