The 5 Seasonings That Make Home Fries Impossible To Stop Eating

We've been raving about how well Trader Joe's Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend works on potatoes. Now, we're back to help spud-loving home cooks level-up their home fry game with more flavorful seasoning recs. Take a load off and let your go-to spice blends do the heavy lifting for you.

Few dishes are as cost-effective, filling, and comforting as a batch of homemade home fries (especially when they're made from fluffy, high-starch russet potatoes). They can make a playful side dish that's way more fun than mashed potatoes, a crowd-pleasing appetizer, or a standalone meal loaded with toppings. This comfort classic boasts unfussy prep yet big delivery — and in fitting fashion, few epicurean facelifts are as effortless as simply shaking seasoning over a potato-loaded baking sheet. Whether you make 'em in the oven or the air fryer, when the humble home fry arouses your appetite, reach for five seasonings in particular: everything bagel seasoning, Old Bay, ranch powder, za'atar, and truffle salt.

The name is more about the "everything" than the "bagel." This multipurpose seasoning works far beyond the bagel realm, bringing toasty, savory sharpness to dishes like everything bagel pizza and savory seasoned coleslaw. You can make a blend yourself with dried onion flakes, sea salt, garlic powder, black and white sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Some blends add aromatic spices into the mix, like caraway or even spicy red chili flakes or piquant dried parmesan – feel free to get creative.

For quicker prep, this 10-ounce jar of premade Everything Bagel Seasoning blend by SPQR packs enough seasoning to coat multiple batches of home fries. For an impressive finishing touch, garnish your everything bagel home fries with a few sprigs of fresh dill, chopped scallions, and a dollop of cream cheese or sour cream for dipping. A few pieces of cured Nova lox could turn this fully-loaded platter into a bougie brunch.

There's no school like the old school, and when it comes to making knockout home fries, we invite you to lean on the classic sturdiness of Old Bay seasoning. It's unknown exactly what ingredients make up Old Bay, but parent company McCormick has revealed that it contains 18 different herbs and spices. Per our taste assessment, you can make a DIY copycat version with coarse salt, celery seed, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, dry mustard, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.

Old Bay got its start in the Chesapeake Bay area and has historically been used as an accouterment for seafood dishes. But this sweet-spicy-savory blend is also the palate-intriguer that your one-note home fries need, bringing dynamic depth and brightness. To complete the meal, serve your Old Bay home fries beside a bowl of New England clam chowder or a juicy lamb burger.

Here at Tasting Table, we've long championed the mouth-watering power of ranch powder on potatoes. We even put it on our popcorn, Chex Mix, and mac and cheese. This oft-overlooked, versatile seasoning brings savory herbaceousness and a slightly creamy feel to dry dishes thanks to the buttermilk powder. Enter: dry home fries.

You can shake up your own ranch mix at home with dried buttermilk, onion powder, dried chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, and kosher salt. By making it yourself, that seasoning blend is mucho customizable, allowing it to lean as herbaceous or umami as you like. Or, for the easiest prep, opt for pre-made ranch blends like Hidden Valley original ranch seasoning; This one comes in an eight-ounce shaker container (think parmesan pizza topping style) for easy dispensing over a baking sheet of home fries.

Pro tip: If you're feeling ambitious, you could even swap a few ingredients to make Cool Ranch Dorito seasoning (salt, sugar, citric acid, white pepper, dill, paprika, MSG, onion powder, and garlic powder). Coated in this craveable blend, your tried-and-true home fries never looked so alluring.

If you've never worked with it before, za'atar is a vibrant Middle Eastern spice blend that's simultaneously zesty, nutty, and tangy. It's all about the interplay of bright citrus tones from the sumac, sweetness from the marjoram, and an herbaceous bitter edge from the oregano.

You can whip up your own za'atar seasoning at home by mixing ground sesame seeds, dried sumac, marjoram, oregano, thyme, and sea salt (bonus points for being able to control your own ratios of ingredients). Or you can get this dimensional Ziyad premium green za'atar spice blend at $8.79 for a 16-ounce bag if you like home fries enough to buy in bulk. And we have plenty of other tips for incorporating za'atar into your go-to recipe rotation, for the record. Just hit your toasted spuds with a drizzle of high-quality olive oil and a sprinkle of za'atar and never look back.

Truffle salt is the one-stop-shop for adding instant earthy, umami flair to any dish. As its name suggests, this flavorful finisher is made from coarse salt dotted with pieces of real truffle. Those pieces may be small, but they load the salt with that distinctive earthy, pungent truffle profile that fans crave and expect. We use it to transform canned soup into a luxurious weeknight dinner, and just a sprinkle can bring piquant depth to fresh green salads. Word to the wise: Black truffle salt tends to be more pungent compared to milder white truffle salt.

Unlike the other seasoning blends in our potato-centric lineup, chances are that the average home cook probably isn't going to have the necessary ingredients on-hand for making black truffle salt at home. Admittedly, it isn't the most affordable seasoning either (and there's a reason for that). But a little goes a long way with this powerhouse seasoning, and some affordable brands deliver considerable value for the money. 

This Sabatino Tartufi truffle salt blends black truffles with Sicilian sea salt. It runs for around $11 for a four-ounce jar, packs a lot of truffle flavor (it's not subtle), and is intensely aromatic. For a sophisticated side dish or movie snack, load your home fries with black truffle salt, grated parmesan, cracked white pepper, and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary.