22 Comfort Food Potato Dishes You Need To Make This Fall
The sudden change in weather from balmy nights to a chill in the air and the leaves on the trees turning brown often changes our appetites, too. For those who are happy to say goodbye to summer cookouts, fall is often their favorite season. Colder, crisp-weather days make you yearn for a layer of foodie warmth with some nourishing carb-fueled recipes. And what is mightier than the humble potato? It can be transformed into classic soups, bountiful breakfasts, and sumptuous dinner party sides, with comforting suppertime dishes aplenty.
From baking to broiling, boiling, and frying, here are some comfort food potato dishes you need to make this fall. So, grab some Yukon Golds, russets, and fingerlings, and transport yourself to the culinary world of potatoes for a while. Or at least until it's warm again.
1. Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
You need a water circulator to make sous vide mashed potatoes at home. But boy, oh boy, is it worth it. The thick slices of russet potatoes soak up the heavy cream, whole milk, and creamy butter while also locking in the flavor of fresh garlic and rosemary.
Expel the air from the freezer bag in the water, before fully submerging it, by opening a corner then sealing and weighing it down. Keep the strained liquid to whisk some into the riced potatoes to make them even creamier.
Recipe: Best Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
2. 30-Minute Twice Baked Potatoes
Melting butter and grated cheddar into mashed-up potato is a winning combination. Adding milk, sour cream, and fresh chives into the mix and loading back into the baked potato skins the mash came from is pure genius.
Baking and then broiling the potatoes gives you a wonderfully browned top and a creamy filling that's so much more than your average potato baked in the oven. By the way, you don't really have to bake this dish twice, as the first time involves a quick 10-minute blitz in the microwave.
Recipe: 30-Minute Twice Baked Potatoes
3. Parsnip and Potato Mash
Parsnips and potatoes go hand-in-culinary-hand, bringing comfort-food warmth to fall. Parsnips evoke cozy feelings of roast dinners, Thanksgiving, and the festive season, while mashed potatoes are a creamy must-have carb with hearty fare.
Mash until this root vegetable duo is either chunky or smooth, whichever way you like it, and mix in the butter and milk once you've mashed the veggies. A good amount of black pepper on top and chopped chives adds the perfect finish. Serve in the middle of the table so everyone can dig in.
Recipe: Parsnip and Potato Mash
4. Traditional Bangers and Mash
You can't have British-style bangers without a generous dollop of mashed potatoes. The onion gravy on top of the pillowy spuds and sausages is like adding the foodie equivalent of a comforter. Mild Italian sausages work well too, and it's easy to bake these in the oven on some parchment paper or a greased baking tray.
Leave the lid on the potatoes once they are cooked and drained so that they steam a little before mashing them with butter and milk. Serve with garden peas for a pop of color.
Recipe: Traditional Bangers and Mash
5. Roasted Potatoes
Give buttery Yukon Gold potatoes a crispy kick by roasting them in avocado oil and spices. They are so tasty that you can serve them with a grilled main course and as a shining star in a Buddha bowl.
Cut the potatoes into similar sizes so that they cook evenly. Fully coat the oiled potato pieces with cumin, smoked paprika, and turmeric, and add pink salt, garlic powder, and pepper. To create crispier edges, turn them over at the halfway mark, and broil the roasted potatoes on a rack toward the end of the cooking time.
Recipe: Roasted Potatoes
6. Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
Hasselback potatoes look the part on any gourmet plate. It's true that they are more time-consuming to make than throwing a potato into the oven, but the crispy taste of each baked slice makes it worth it.
Tip-wise, make sure you use a sharp knife so that you can make lots of individual slices of around 5 millimeters thick. Don't cut all the way down as you want the bottom quarter to remain intact to hold the fanned design in place. Brush the garlic and parsley oil into every gap for maximum crunchiness.
Recipe: Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
7. Easy Potato Cakes
Coming home after a long fall day and sitting on a comfy sofa with a hot buttery potato cake is so comforting. Moments savoring homemade traditional food that elevate how you feel are precious.
All you need is some leftover mashed potato so that you can mix in cooked bacon lardons, grated cheese, garlic, and green onions. Shaping the discs by hand is the easiest way, and don't forget to coat them with cornstarch so that they turn crispy on the outside. Now fry them, put your feet up, and enjoy.
Recipe: Easy Potato Cakes
8. Potato Rosti
Use waxy potatoes to make a deliciously crunchy rosti because they are less starchy. Examples include new potatoes and fingerlings. To get the right texture, make sure you squeeze out the water after grating so that they don't turn limp when you fry them.
They make tasty breakfast warmers during fall weekends and pair well with a fried egg on top, or with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese. For a more sophisticated start to the day, serve with crème fraîche, smoked salmon, and avocado for a cool, velvety, creamy contrast.
Recipe: Potato Rosti
9. Potato Gnocchi
Soft and stodgy, there's nothing quite as comforting as a bowlful of gnocchi. The Italian-inspired, pasta-style potato dumplings are like carby pearls of homeliness, and you absolutely cannot beat them when they are homemade. Don't you just love humble food that tastes like the most luxurious dish in the world?
When the potato dough pieces float to the top of a pan of boiling water, fry a little to brown them. You can serve gnocchi with so many sauces, but you really need nothing more than grated Parmesan, parsley, and butter.
Recipe: Potato Gnocchi
10. Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes
What better way to slow down after summer than with a slow cooker recipe of thin, melt-in-the-mouth potatoes that are creamy and cheesy. The secret to making the best au gratin potatoes is to make sure you get around eight slices to an inch.
A great tool for achieving this is a mandoline. Just follow the safety instructions as this equipment is super-sharp. Another good tip is to grate your own cheese rather than using pre-shredded as it will melt into the garlicky milk sauce that much better.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Au Gratin Potatoes
11. Potato Pancakes
If you love a stack of pancakes in the morning, enjoy them later on in the day, too. Potato pancakes are the perfect accompaniment to a fall pot roast on a Sunday afternoon lunch. Make the doughy fried discs with a hint of sweetness by adding a sweet white onion.
Squeeze the water out of the grated russet potatoes before adding them to an egg and flour batter so they don't turn soggy. But don't add too much flour or they'll toughen up. Watch them frazzle before serving with sour cream and applesauce.
Recipe: Potato Pancakes
12. Simple Garlic Mashed Potatoes
One of the simplest ways to elevate mashed potatoes is to boost the flavor with a few minced garlic cloves. After breaking up boiled baking potatoes a little with a masher or ricer, add warm garlic-infused milk with butter. The liquid will help you mash the potatoes into a smooth consistency, with the garlic melting into every spoonful.
Don't go too hard on the mashing though or you might end up with mashed potatoes that resemble wallpaper paste. Serve with a knob of butter and fresh parsley.
Recipe: Simple Garlic Mashed Potatoes
13. Cheesy Potato Casserole
In comfort-food land, the words "cheesy", "potato", and "casserole" are the culinary equivalent of Top Trumps. Don't balk at the thought of peeling lots of potatoes though, you won't have to. Instead, you're going to mix frozen shredded hash browns into cream of chicken soup to make the filling.
Once you've added milk and grated cheese your dish is ready to bake. But don't forget to add crushed potato chips on top and bake for a final 10 minutes for a crunchy topping. Serve as a side to a meaty main dish.
Recipe: Cheesy Potato Casserole
14. Quick Potato Soup
While chilled gazpacho may be a joy in summer, potato soup is amazing when the temperature drops. It's one of the best comfort food potato dishes you need to make this fall. With such a simple list of ingredients, you can create a bubbling cauldron of this thick broth so easily.
Chicken stock adds flavor and saltiness to the taste, but feel free to use vegetable or beef instead, and whatever type of milk you like. A great garnish, along with a sprig of parsley, is to scatter on some crunchy bacon bits.
Recipe: Quick Potato Soup
15. Simple Baked Potato
It's midweek, the nights are drawing in, and it's blowing a gale outside. In other words, you're tired, it's cold, and you need some comfort food to warm you up. And you definitely don't want a dish that entails a complicated recipe. It's time to celebrate making a filling baked potato rather than simply serving a few carbs on the side.
Crisp up the skins by rubbing them with avocado oil halfway through cooking as this has a high smoke point. You can't go wrong with butter, cheese, and sour cream.
Recipe: Simple Baked Potato
16. German Potato Salad
Potato salad is renowned as a picnic or cookout side reserved for summery days. Add a German twist with a warm version made with baby red and gold potatoes that are lovely and waxy. Add these to water when it's already boiling so they cook on the outside but retain a little firmness inside.
Bacon bits are an indulgence, while you cook onion with the bacon grease before adding sugar, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, and garlic. Talk about a tangy, sweet, salty, and spicy flavor boost that envelops your taste buds.
Recipe: German Potato Salad
17. Chunky Potato Leek Soup
Smooth and clear soups can taste rather delicate, but a good chunky one is definitely hearty enough to warm up fall. A combination of potatoes and leeks creates a starchy, mildly oniony flavor that is irresistible when blended with heavy cream. However, you can lighten this up by using half and half instead.
The trick to making this soup with just a few chunks of potato and leek is to only blend half of it or less. Don't forget to add a swirl of cream and chopped chives when serving.
Recipe: Chunky Potato Leek Soup
18. Deviled Egg Potato Salad
Not all comfort food potato dishes you need to make this fall are hot. Try a cold deviled egg potato salad. Mashed-up yolks in mayo with Dijon and yellow mustard, pepper, and sweet or smoked paprika add creamy heat. Sweet pickles bring a tangy touch, with celery and red onion creating crunch.
Pour on the dressing while the potatoes are warm to coat them more easily. Fingerling potatoes are perfect as the skins are thin, and they are waxy and buttery, so they stay firm yet have a creaminess to them.
Recipe: Deviled Egg Potato Salad
19. Classic Potato Salad
Potato salad can taste a little bland, and it's not the first dish you might think of when gathering comfort-food recipes for fall. However, the combination of creamy mayo and soft yet firm potatoes is a classic one, and the taste is moreish and nostalgic. To give it a more warming quality add pickled jalapeños, cumin, and cilantro.
The herby, spicy, and sour heat picks up the gentler-tasting ingredients and transforms this retro dish. Dill also elevates the fresh flavors, creating a grassy note that's so distinctive that it's wonderfully reassuring.
Recipe: Classic Potato Salad
20. Colcannon
When the wind blows in Ireland, there's one local dish that's sure to warm up one and all: colcannon. It's basically an Irish version of mashed potatoes, except you also add diced green cabbage and thinly sliced green onions cooked in butter with milk.
For this recipe, mash potatoes and veggies together in one pan. You can leave the consistency a little rough and rustic or create a smoother mash with speckles of green. Either way, serve with a knob of butter on top and a sprinkling of green onions. It's so good served with corned beef.
Recipe: Colcannon
21. Creamy Dauphinoise Potatoes
If you've ever tasted creamy dauphinoise potatoes then they need no introduction. This dish is luxurious-tasting and stodgy, yet somehow refined. It's a stonking side to serve with grilled and roasted meats. And if you want to make this for a dinner party, then you can make it in advance. It's got that mouthwatering appeal of being both comforting and special, which isn't always easy to achieve.
Double cream with minced garlic and thyme smother potato slices in a velvety sauce, and shredded cheese bubbles and browns on top as it bakes.
Recipe: Creamy Dauphinoise Potatoes
22. Warming Aloo Gobi (Potato and Cauliflower Curry)
One of the most delicious comfort food potato dishes you need to make this fall is aloo gobi. Indian spices turn up the heat with cubes of potato and diced tomatoes with onion soaking up the flavors. This dish offers gentle warmth rather than making you want to run out into the cold.
Turmeric adds color, with garam masala, cumin seeds, and ground cumin inspiring a terrific taste along with ground coriander and chili powder. And don't forget the flavor-boosting brilliance of ginger and garlic.