14 Ways To Eat Potatoes Cold Beyond Potato Salad
It would be difficult to find someone who doesn't care for potatoes. They are mild in flavor, have many varieties to choose from, and are extremely versatile. Typically, potatoes are enjoyed as warm comfort food — mashed, baked, fried, stuffed, and even scalloped. As it turns out, around the world and even in your own backyard, folks have been enjoying potatoes at refreshing temperatures. There are plenty of incredible ways to eat potatoes cold beyond a classic potato salad.
When we say cold, we certainly don't mean raw potatoes, as their taste can be unpleasant. Instead, we mean potatoes that have been cooked and cooled or cooked and brought to room temperature. As we know from potato salad, cold potatoes can be quite delicious and typically have a creamy texture. Cold potato dishes are perfect for summertime when you're done slathering on the melted butter and ready to enjoy something a little more refreshing. However, they can be enjoyed all year round and make great side dishes, appetizers, and main courses. There are endless ways to eat potatoes cold, but here are our top spud-tastic picks that will be sure to tantalize your tastebuds.
Pesto potato skewers
When it comes to skewers, anything goes. Roasted pork layered with barbecued vegetables and pineapple? A classic. Watermelon with feta and fresh herbs? Absolutely. Even chilled potatoes love a skewer. The key is to balance both flavor and textures in a way that's easy to eat and pleasing to the tastebuds. Typically, some kind of sauce is used either during the cooking process (if the skewers are used for grilling) or drizzled on after the fact (if they are assembled raw).
For pesto potato skewers, you'll want to use pre-roasted and seasoned baby potatoes that have been sliced in half. This will give the skewers the best texture, and they will be bite-sized for easing noshing. They can be marinated in herbs and olive oil before roasting or tossed with a dry rub. We suggest something garlicky and herby rather than spicy or sweet. Once they have cooled, pair them with cherry tomatoes, bite-sized mozzarella balls or sliced buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves. Top with fresh homemade basil pesto and crushed black pepper. If you feel so inclined, drizzle a little finishing extra virgin olive oil over the top for added depth.
Deviled potatoes
Deviled eggs are that potluck, backyard cook-out kind of food that you either love or hate, but one thing is for sure — they will make an appearance. For those who don't enjoy or choose not to eat eggs, there is an alternative that we find quite intriguing. Instead of deviling your eggs, devil cold potatoes instead.
Luckily, most vegan deviled egg recipes aren't too hard to make. In fact, the process is quite similar to the original recipe. Simply boil egg-sized Yukon gold potatoes until soft and plunge them into a cool bath of water to abruptly stop the cooking process. This should only take about 25 minutes or so. Cut the spuds in half and use a melon baller to scoop out a yolk-sized ball from each half. Transfer the scooped-out potato to a bowl, and mix with vegan or regular mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, black salt, and pepper. Load your filling into a pastry bag with a textured tip and squeeze the contents back into the little potato craters. Sprinkle with paprika and fresh dill, and enjoy.
Sweet potato pie
Pumpkin pie has been an American classic for centuries. There's another pie that deserves just as much recognition, although, in appearance, it's almost indistinguishable from our favorite fall-time classic. Sweet potato pie has that same autumn-orange hue with a slightly different mouthfeel and flavor profile. Sweet potatoes are starchier and sweeter than pumpkins, which makes for an incredible creamy texture and extra sweet flavor.
Luckily, a simple sweet potato pie recipe can be quite easy to make and is easy to chill for a by-the-slice snack. You can steam or bake your own sweet potatoes or use the canned version for a ready-to-mix filling. Even raw sweet potatoes can be blended until smooth, although they tend to be less sweet as the sugars haven't had a chance to caramelize. Use your favorite flakey pie crust recipe and pumpkin spice seasonings like vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The process and ingredients are quite similar to a classic pumpkin pie recipe, but you'll cool this one before serving it with whipped cream.
Add to your cob salad
While potato salad is a popular choice when it comes to summer sides, adding potatoes to your leafy greens might not be something you've happened upon quite as frequently. However, roasted potatoes, especially chilled, can elevate any salad by adding a starchy and creamy element to the mix. It can also help to break your palate from intense flavors like a tangy vinaigrette or flavor bombs like kalamata olives or marinated artichoke hearts. When it comes to perfect pairings, cob salad and roasted potatoes make a magical duo.
Set up your classic cob salad recipe with ingredients like bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, chicken, lettuce, and avocado. A dijon-based dressing tends to complement the flavors well, but cob salads do well with both vinaigrettes and creamy dressings. Finally, add roasted, herb seasoned, and cooled red-skinned tomatoes. You'll want to be sure they were roasted in bite-sized pieces. You can also use boiled and diced potatoes, but try to ensure they aren't overcooked, as they will crumble and dissolve when the salad is tossed. Alternatively, if they do break down, they will leave a creamy residue, as avocado does. It's quite pleasing.
Vichyssoise
While potato leek soup is on our radar as silky, warm comfort food, it can also be prepared as vichyssoise to be quite delicate, silky, and refined. Vichyssoise chilled potato leek soup is made with an array of simple ingredients; Yukon gold potatoes and roasted leeks, stock, butter, alliums, citrus juice, and of course, an array of herbs and spices. The ingredients are cooked together, blended, and served chilled. A little whisper of cream, cracked black pepper, or a sprinkling of green onion can garnish the refreshing soup and help add texture visually and in mouthfeel.
This blended French soup can be enjoyed in different variations. Chilled asparagus vichyssoise is heavier in asparagus than potato and requires a bit of straining to ensure the texture remains smooth and silky. However, a similar cooking process is deployed, and texture and mouthfeel are obtained. A fat like olive oil or butter is essential in creating a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth sensation that distinguishes vichyssoise from other blended soups. Potato lovers everywhere should consider serving this chilled soup at their next summer get-together.
Ice cream
When we talk about potatoes, ice cream may not be the first visual to pop into your head. Unsurprisingly, you may have never considered potato ice cream before, as it's not terribly common in most parts of the United States. However, there are several forms of potato ice cream that may intrigue experimental eaters and dessert lovers alike. Potato ice cream is just what it sounds like; ice cream churned with a potato base. Potatoes are a satiny food, so it's no wonder they just seem to work in a frozen dessert.
Potato ice cream is typically made with a light variety of potatoes like Yukon golds, along with olive oil, heavy cream, sugar, cream cheese, and sour cream. Some people even add black pepper to round out the flavors. Sweet potato ice cream is perhaps more common and is similar to pumpkin ice cream, which you may see in the fall. The warming accents of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg tend to accompany the frozen dessert. When you can find it, or if you have an opportunity to churn your own, it can be quite dense and delicious because of the extra starches and natural sugars.
Norwegian lefse
If you've never had the opportunity to try a traditional Norwegian lefse recipe, then you'll want to take some notes. It's essentially the Norwegian version of French crêpes, just with an added element of potatoes. Like crêpes, it's a thin, pancake-like bread that's pan-fried and can be easily folded or rolled. Instead of using eggs and flour to hold it all together, lefse includes starchy potatoes and flour. That's right; the dough is made primarily with potatoes. Flour, salt, butter, and cream are used to get exactly the right consistency and flavor.
Potato lefse can be stuffed with both sweet and savory fillings and served hot or chilled. When working with savory components, you might leave them hot to help melt the cheese. However, where sweet fillings are involved, we recommend enjoying your lefse cold. (Especially when whipped cream is involved.) Try stuffing your thin potato pancakes with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder for an extra aesthetically pleasing breakfast or dessert.
Japanese sweet potato pudding
Murasaki is a variety of Japanese sweet potatoes with unique characteristics in terms of flavor, texture, and appearance. While they are purple on the outside, they are golden on the inside and are incredibly starchy and sweet. Various types of Japanese sweet potatoes are gaining popularity in North America, but many may still be difficult to track down in your average grocery store. Murasaki is more common, but if you can't find them hanging out with the other potatoes, they may be hiding in the imported produce section. This variety of potatoes works especially well in a chilled pudding dessert because Murasaki sweet potatoes reach a whole new level of tenderness and flavor.
Classic pudding ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar are used in combination with cooked Japanese sweet potatoes to make an incredibly starchy, creamy, and sweet dessert. It can be enjoyed hot or chilled, but either way, you serve it, we recommend adorning it with a thin drizzling of caramel sauce to enhance the sticky texture and sweetness.
Skordalia
For those of you who have grown fresh potatoes in your backyard or enjoyed a recently harvested yield from your local farm stand or farmer's market, then you know just how incredibly smooth potatoes can be. It's no surprise, then, that there are plenty of dips out there that feature the whipped spud. Skordalia, for example, is a garlicky Greek dip that is served chilled or at room temperature and is made with lemon, garlic, and (you guessed it) potatoes! Heaps of extra virgin olive oil help to make the dip extra rich and fatty, and unlike most potato recipes, dairy does not play a role.
Skordalia is versatile and can be paired with a variety of foods. It's often served with a warm piece of pita bread but also makes an incredible accompaniment for fish. It's great for sharing, so whip up a batch for your next backyard party or game day get-together. Nobody is likely to turn down their nose at the pungently delicious combination of potatoes and garlic.
Layered into a sandwich
The beauty of sandwiches is that they can house pretty much anything you can think of. Nearly any dish can be prepared in sandwich form. There are no boundaries, and when it comes to loading on the veggies, it pays to get creative. Potatoes make a creamy, starchy, and filling addition to any sandwich, as the flavor is so mild it tends not to compete with other ingredients. Try adding potatoes to your classic Italian sub or your roasted veggie sandwich stuffed with marinated vegetables.
To achieve the best texture, simply boil potatoes until tender but not mashable, let them cool, and use a sharp knife to thinly cut them into quarter-inch or thinner slices. You can leave the skins on if you prefer or peel them before boiling. Layer the potato against the sandwich's bread to prevent a slippery, sloppy mess, and load up with your favorite toppings, dressings, and spreads. A layer of potatoes pairs particularly well with tangy ingredients like hots, pickled vegetables, and vinaigrettes, creating a break in intensity for your tastebuds.
Add to pasta salad
Pasta salad is another one of those recipes that can take many different forms depending on the selected ingredients. You can use an oil-based dressing with olives and sun-dried tomatoes for a fantastic Italian veggie pasta salad recipe, or you can toss cucumbers, red peppers, and ranch dressing together to make a classic American pasta salad. Whichever angle you choose, remember that adding roasted and chilled potatoes can help enhance any pasta salad recipe.
Dice, marinade, and roast your potatoes before refrigerating them to cool. For a Mediterranean-flavored pasta salad, we recommend using olive oil, salt, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice for your marinade. Use lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, and dill for a classic potato salad. Alternatively, you can boil potatoes and forgo adding any extra oil. Boil, then slice them into bite-sized pieces, let them cool, and mix them directly into the salad. The creamy bites of potato will help to add texture to the salad and help to balance any strong flavors.
Sweet potato hummus
Hummus is an irreplaceable Middle Eastern dip; it seems miraculous that something so decedent and creamy can be made mostly with beans. If you've only enjoyed store-bought hummus like Cedar's or Sabra, then you're really missing out. Fortunately, it's easier to whip up your own batch than you might think. Today, the hummus flavors seem to have taken off beyond garlic and kalamata olive, and we have our eye on sweet potato hummus.
To make the creamiest sweet potato hummus all on your own, add roasted sweet potato cubes to your favorite hummus recipe. The versatile sweet potatoes will add a pop of color, a hint of sweetness, and some starchy, creamy goodness. Because this dip is slightly sweet, be sure to serve it with a variety of fresh crunchy vegetables, as well as warm pita. Consider including sliced cucumber, which adds a stimulating and crisp balance to the rich hummus. Garnish with fresh parsley, a high-quality finishing extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkling of paprika to help add flavor and make the presentation irresistible.
Kartoffelkäse
If you're a huge fan of loaded and stuffed baked potatoes, then this dip was designed with you in mind. Imagine your dream stuffed potato mixed and blended into a creamy and delightful dip or spread. Kartoffelkäse is just that. It's a traditional Austrian and Bavarian potato spread and pairs beautifully with bread and pretzels, although you can dip anything under the sun into it. Its basic ingredients include cooked potatoes, sour cream, raw sweet onion, salt, pepper, and chives for garnish. If the thought of raw onions sounds too intense for you, try heating them up slightly in a pan before incorporating them into the dish.
The onion potato spread is flavorful yet mild and incredibly starchy and creamy. It has the refreshing and slightly tangy soft flavors of sour cream, along with the bitey sweet onions that add a pop of confetti-like texture. The pillowy potatoes create a thick base for the flavors to cling to that is easily spreadable. It can be enjoyed hot, cold, or at room temperature.
Homemade potato chips
It would be a challenge to find someone out there who doesn't enjoy the satisfying crunch of a potato chip. And while we love a good bag of Ruffles or Lay's, there's something about home-fried or baked chips that are just oh-so irresistible. Not only do they have their own unique crunch intensity, but you can season them how you please. Try unique spices mixes or the umami-packed ingredient to elevate homemade potato chips: Nori. Or simply grab a packet of pre-made taco seasoning. In addition, it's always a good idea to think outside of the bag and enjoy your chips as more than just a salty snack or side.
These room-temperature spud crisps have so many uses. Try layering into your smash burgers to make crunchy patties. The salty, crispy layer will be sure to add texture and flavor. Consider crushing potato chips over ice cream, and enjoy this frozen dessert with a salty and savory twist. Crumbled chips over your cob salad give it a little extra texture or dip them into French onion dip or your favorite creamy sauce. The options are unlimited.