Potatoes Are More than a Side Dish: All About Potatoes, and Where to Get the Best

The humble potato should be knighted. Densely caloric, it has sustained human populations across the globe for millennia. Peru, where the tuber first flourished some 7-10,000 years ago, nurtured over 4,000 varieties before the Spanish conquest of the region reduced the cultivars to just a few. (A resurgence is bringing them back.) It’s also worth noting that boiled potatoes are ranked number one in terms of satisfying foods, beating out eggs, cheese and even steak.

As humans rediscover the fleshy, surprisingly nutritious tuber as a global comfort food, potatoes are stepping out, getting makeovers (in the hands of chefs) and becoming something we can once again cheer. Carbs be damned, here come the potatoes!

Featured Photo: Aurum

Types of Potatoes

A single unpeeled potato with small sprouts and a slightly rough surface. The light brown potato, adorned with visible eyes and blemishes, hints at potential delicious potato dishes. It is positioned against a plain white background.
Photo: Courtesy of Zoofari/Wikimedia Commons

Russet

With a rough, brown-grey skin, white interior, and low moisture content, the Russet is widely used when serving whole baked potatoes and, when peeled, for mashed potatoes. 

Nutrition Note: A surprising source of protein (8 grams per potato) and potassium (three times more than a banana).

Three fresh yams are stacked, displaying coarse brown skins with small root hairs and sections of exposed white flesh at the ends. The yams are arranged against a white background, highlighting their rough texture and natural appearance, perfect for inspiring new potato dishes.

Yam

Though often confused with sweet potatoes, yams are not in the potato family and are not widely grown in the United States. The problem is: the term “yam” has been used in place of “sweet potato” for so long, we can never go back.

Nutrition Note: High in potassium, manganese and copper, important minerals for metabolism and heart function.

A close-up of a pile of sweet potatoes with varying shapes and sizes, displaying mostly purplish-brown skins with some covered in dirt. There are a few sweet potatoes with lighter, pinkish skins, perfect for various potato dishes.
Photo: Courtesy of Filo Gen/Wikimedia Commons

Sweet

An orange-colored potato (a yam is white or pale yellow inside) with a smooth skin, tapered shape and high moisture content. Native to North America, sweet potatoes used to be cream-colored but a 1930’s popular cultivar changed their color to orange.

Nutrition Note: Loaded with resistant starch, this tuber becomes a source of nutrients for the beneficial bacteria in your gut, helping improve blood sugar control.

A pile of yellow fingerling potatoes with smooth, slightly speckled skin. The potatoes are elongated and vary slightly in size, some having small protrusions. Perfect for a variety of potato dishes, the photo captures their texture and natural, unpolished appearance.
Photo: Courtesy of Foodista/Wikimedia Commons

Wax

These high moisture content little guys go by many different names — white, yellow, new, fingerling, Finn, Red Bliss, Yukon Gold (a brand name of yellow potato), and more — and all are defined by the slight shine to their skin and their ability to hold their shape when cooked. Typically boiled for potato salad or sliced for gratins such as pommes Dauphinoise or pommes Anna, these guys hold firm, making them a poor candidate for mashing.

Nutrition Note: Loaded with resistant starch, this tuber becomes a source of nutrients for the beneficial bacteria in your gut, helping improve blood sugar control.

Three light brown potatoes are seen on a dark surface. Two are whole with a few eyes and small blemishes, while the third is cut in half, revealing a creamy white interior with hints of pink. The lighting emphasizes the potatoes' smooth texture and natural imperfections, perfect for various potato dishes.
Photo: Courtesy of Victor M. Vicente Selvas

Kennebec

A brand name variety of wax potato, Kennebecs have long been used for potato chips and French fries by chefs and restaurants such as In-n-Out who rely on the sturdy potato to produce a firm snap that yields to a soft interior.

Nutrition Note: Rich in compounds like flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acids, potatoes can reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease.

Bay Area Potato Stylings

An admittedly incomplete guide to where to eat potatoes done up as they should be.

Map

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San Francisco

Four pieces of crispy fried bread topped with a dollop of creamy white sauce and black caviar are neatly arranged on a rectangular white plate. Reminiscent of gourmet potato dishes, the focus is on the front piece, with the rest slightly blurred in the background.

“It’s been our signature item since 2002,” says chef-partner Bruce Hill. Hill prefers Kennebecs, using them in Bix’s fries as well. Inspired by a Chinese recipe for taro puffs, Hill’s pillows went through plenty of trial and error before landing on a lacy, football-shaped concoction that is puffy and creamy. The batter is about ¾ potato, ¼ taro made with baked Kennebecs that, once they hit the rice brain oil at exactly 375°F, look like they are falling apart but results in layers of lace. “It seems like a mistake, Hill says. A craveable mistake that has become synonymous with the restaurant. Hill tops his with American sturgeon caviar and Straus crème fraiche. Could a glass of Champagne be far behind?

A person is reaching for a French fry from a white cloth basket, filled with a generous portion of golden, crispy potato dishes. The hand is slightly above the fries, with fingers gently grasping one fry. The background is blurred and white.

The perfect French fry is a deceptively simple dish and, in this case, the black truffle shavings atop the fries hog all the glory. Yes, the essence of truffle is remarkable and embeds the dish deep into your senses, but it is the crisp on the Russet potatoes, searingly hot with a give under your teeth, that exposes the potatoes peacock-like strut and reignites the truffles’ aromas in the best way.

A beige ceramic plate with three roasted eggplants topped with creamy sauce and chopped chives, drizzled with a soy-based glaze, placed on a speckled grey countertop, adds a creative twist to traditional potato dishes.

Baked until creamy, Japanese sweet potato gets the royal treatment in the hands of chef and owner Brandon Rice. Cut in half, then smoked over fig wood, the purple-skinned potato with cream-colored flesh is grilled and coated in tare glaze and honey butter. “The sum of everything together is greater than its parts,” Rice says.

East Bay

Seven fried golden brown hush puppies, reminiscent of classic potato dishes, are arranged in a circular pattern around a small plastic container filled with creamy green dipping sauce, placed on a white plate.

On the menu for over 20 years is chef Grégoire Jacquet’s signature potato puff. A batter made with baked Russet potatoes is scooped into the fryer and cooked until the exterior is golden and crispy but pillowy soft and hot on the inside. Chef serves them with a seasonally flavored house made mayonnaise.

A white plate with a blue rim holds a stack of crispy, golden-brown fried chicken wings topped with grated cheese and fresh herbs. A slice of lime rests beside the wings on a wooden table adorned with assorted potato dishes, set against a warm, blurred background.

Chef Matt Meyer plays with American and Mexican ingredients creating instant classics like his potato and corn fritter. Adding sweet potato puree to nixtamalized corn flour and roasted corn adds sweetness and heft to the fritters before they are fried in rice bran oil, then seasoned with salt and ancho chile powder. The flavor is at once true to Mexico and right at home in NorCal.

An oval ceramic dish filled with a cheesy mashed potato casserole, topped with melted golden cheese and sprinkled with chopped chives. A spoon is partially dipped into the casserole. This delectable addition to potato dishes is placed on a gray surface.
Photo: Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee

Russet potatoes are cubed while slightly firm and blended with green onions, sharp cheddar and house-made cream of mushroom soup before more cheddar cheese is added, resulting in gooey potatoes with a crisp edge. It’s a dish to cherish, one that lodges chef Matt Horn’s tribute to a casserole his grandmother made for family gatherings in the firmament of hallowed family memory and of modern barbecue side dish in equal measure.

Peninsula/South Bay

A rectangular blue ceramic plate features an elegantly plated potato dish consisting of thinly sliced roasted potatoes layered in a row, garnished with microgreens, sauce, and a sprinkle of crushed nuts, set on a textured gray surface.

Chef Manish Tyagi is known for updating traditional Indian dishes at his Los Altos restaurant and his spin on a russet blends influences from his world travels. Affectionately known as a potato tornado for its hasselback-ish shape, the russets at the heart of the dish are double-fried for enough crispness to support the dish’s unique architecture. Placed atop a trio of chutneys and sprinkled with cilantro chutney powder and black salt, it redefines the fried potato in the best way.

A cinnamon roll with white icing and chopped nuts is placed in a unique, beige ceramic bowl resembling an animal paw. The bowl has a green splash design on the front. The dessert sits on a wooden surface, next to an array of potato dishes.

Beloved throughout Spain is a classic dish from the Barcelona region equitably named for its accompanying sauce. In Los Altos, executive chef Oscar Cabezas makes his bravas with Yukon Golds, soaking the spuds for 24 hours to remove excess starch. Deep-fried, the potato triangles are topped with house made aioli and a sauce thick with tomatoes, garlic and onion for a taste of “Barca” that resembles no other. “There are countless nuances between potato types and this dish is definitely our most loved tapa — in our restaurants but also in Spain in general,” Cabezas says. “It is always appealing.” 

A close-up of a gourmet dish perfect for bay area brunch, featuring a perfectly poached egg topped with pink bits, dusted with spices, surrounded by crispy spinach leaves, and garnished with small yellow spheres. The ensemble is placed on a layer of seared meat chunks.

A popular North Indian street food snack, aloo (potato) chaat originated in northern India in the late 17th century during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. At Rooh’s peninsula location, sweet cubes of sweet potato are steamed, then lightly coated with spices, rice flour and corn flour in preparation for a dip in the fryer. More spices, red onion and cilantro and a dash of sweet and sour yogurt mousse flavored with rose water grace the concoction, which is further topped with kale tempura and a chutney holy trinity — cilantro, tamarind and mint. Crispy dried chickpea discs push the dish to 11 on the crunchy scale.

North Bay

A white oval plate filled with crispy, golden potato chips sprinkled with seasoning. The chips are arranged in a semi-upright position, showcasing one of the finest potato dishes, and the plate is placed on a wooden table.

Proprietor Robert Wellbeloved swears by Chipperbec potatoes for his San Rafael restaurant’s perfect potato chips. Grown for low sugar and low moisture, Chipperbec’s are a fryer’s dream — “They are the best for frying,” Wellbeloved confirms. Available alongside the restaurant’s sandwiches or as a side order, these chips are manually sliced on a mandolin and soaked in a water bath before hitting the fryer for a 350°F stint in canola oil. Emerging golden, the chips are hit with a 10-ingredient sprinkle that adds a smoky, spicy sweetness, the perfect foil for the firm snap of the chip.

A sizzling taco with a crispy tortilla is being cooked on a hot griddle. It is topped with small chunks of seasoned and cooked meat, garnished with fresh herbs and onions. Steam rises from the taco as it cooks, reminiscent of hearty potato dishes that bring warmth and comfort.

One of seven fillings for the street tacos and calzados (a type of riceless burrito), red garnet potatoes already pack a flavorful punch. The team maximizes the seductress’s assets by griddling diced potato — some with peel still attached — with rice brain oil until brown. The deep red potatoes are then tossed in La Q’s mojo seasoning (trust us, it’s delicious) before a final steam softens their texture. Only now is the singular potato ready to be wrapped in a tortilla before it makes its way to your mouth.

A close-up of a glazed doughnut resting on a wooden tray during a Bay Area brunch. The doughnut has a light golden-brown exterior, coated with a shiny layer of sweet, white icing. Another doughnut is partially visible in the background.

Made with a raised dough, the addition of roasted sweet potatoes adds subtle nutty flavor and moisture while creating a soft yet somehow lofty bite. While the cooking oil and temperature surely an important part of Johnny’s inimitable texture, the Larkspur and San Rafael teams kept this detail under wraps, preferring to let the dough speak for itself.

More Local Favorites in the Bay Area

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Where to Eat Potatoes in the Bay Area

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