Food and Recipes Side Dishes 49 Versatile and Quick Potato Side Dishes for Dinner Tonight By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Here's the thing about potatoes: They deserve every ounce of praise we give them. Whether they're mashed or hashed, baked, or battered—or, yes, even frittered—potatoes can fill in the gaps of any weeknight supper, dinner party, or holiday meal. And that's a pretty impressive feat, considering all they really need is cheese, cream, and something crunchy on top. Simply put, the potato is the perfect vessel for dinnertime success. In the South, no summer cookout is complete without potato salad, and every Christmas gathering needs a potful of buttermilk mashed potatoes. Not to mention, you haven't lived until you've tried to make our Melting Potatoes. We've rounded up some of our greatest potato side dishes of all time, and you'll find all of your classic favorites and plenty of new ones, too. From Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes to Twice-Cooked Sweet Potatoes with Citrus and Honey, these potato sides are easy, delicious, and downright spud-tacular—and they're serving you many days of weeknight dinner inspiration. 01 of 49 Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cheesy Potato Casserole A mashed potato casserole without cheese? Once you've tried this, you wouldn't dare. 02 of 49 Twice Baked Potatoes Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Twice-Baked Potatoes These cheesy boats of heaven will have you rethinking basic baked potatoes. 03 of 49 Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole You're going to love this tasty twist on sweet potato casserole. It's not overly sweet, and the added texture will be much appreciated. 04 of 49 Herbed Potato Stacks Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith Recipe: Herbed Potato Stacks Baked in a muffin pan, these potato towers are easier than you think—and only require a short ingredient list. Expect them to come out wonderfully crispy on the outside, yet creamy and tender on the inside. 05 of 49 Potato Hash Hector Sanchez Recipe: Potato Hash This hash goes easily from brunch to dinner, which puts it high on the list of "greatest-ever." 06 of 49 Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes Southern Living Recipe: Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe You'll be wondering why you haven't been putting goat cheese in your mashed potatoes all along. It's a game changer. 07 of 49 Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas Victor Protasio Recipe: Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas This simple side dish will be ready in 30 minutes. Usually just boiled, gnocchi is so much better when the pillowy potato bites are toasted in a skillet. 08 of 49 Deviled Potatoes Hector Sanchez Recipe: Deviled Potatoes Two Southern classics, deviled eggs and potato salad, join forces to create these two-bite wonders. 09 of 49 Fennel-and-Potato Gratin Jennifer Davick Recipe: Fennel-and-Potato Gratin This fancy-ish version of potato gratin packs its weight in flavor, thanks to the addition of fennel and the tiniest touch of nutmeg. 10 of 49 Crispy Potatoes Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick Recipe: Crispy Potatoes Pair all-purpose potatoes with sweet potatoes for a more interesting version of weeknight roasted spuds. 11 of 49 Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad This potato salad is spring-ready. We replace the usual mayo-heavy dressing with a zingy lemon-dill vinaigrette. 12 of 49 Zucchini-Potato Casserole Iain Bagwell Recipe: Zucchini-Potato Casserole Serve this beautiful centerpiece of layered vegetables at every affair, from spring party to holiday feast. 13 of 49 Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon Laurey W. Glenn; Food Styling: William Smith; Prop Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon This recipe is already to-die-for, but a duo of blue cheese and bacon tips the scale over into side dish greatness. 14 of 49 Potato-Bacon Hash Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Potato-Bacon Hash Enter: the perfect hash. With bell peppers and bacon, this potato recipe works just as well served with fried eggs for brunch as any hearty, simple protein for dinner. 15 of 49 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Alison Miksch Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon This oh-so easy side dish is a crowd-pleaser. (And not just thanks to the bacon.) 16 of 49 Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust Jennifer Davick Recipe: Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust This herb-filled recipe looks just as good as it tastes. 17 of 49 Potatoes Patio Iain Bagwell Recipe: Potatoes Patio This recipe is the dressed-up version of your cheesy potato casserole, with a mixture of Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses. 18 of 49 Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Southern Living Recipe: Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes If you never thought "make-ahead" and "mashed potatoes" could go together in a sentence, think again. This recipe will save you so much stress. 19 of 49 Hot Potato Salad Helen Norman Recipe: Hot Potato Salad This warmed-up casserole version of potato salad is just the refresh the classic Southern side needs. 20 of 49 Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes This recipe is a weeknight classic. Hint: You'll know it's done when it's bubbly, melty, and golden brown. Yum. 21 of 49 Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Photography, and Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries All you need to enjoy crispy sweet potato fries is olive oil, salt, and cooking spray. 22 of 49 Scalloped Potatoes with Ham Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes with Ham This versatile, comforting potato casserole is the perfect vehicle for your leftover Easter ham. 23 of 49 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole We love having our slow cooker on hand for the busy holiday season. 24 of 49 Potato Salad with Dijon and Scallions Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Potato Salad with Dijon and Scallions This is the most colorful and flavorful potato salad you'll make for cookout season. 25 of 49 Sweet Potato Soufflé Micah Leal Recipe: Sweet Potato Soufflé This creamy soufflé is topped with a crunchy, sweet pecan mixture. 26 of 49 Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga with Collards Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Mashed Potatoes and Rutabaga with Collards Three vegetables meet in one creamy side dish that tastes indulgent but is actually packed with some good-for-you nutrients. 27 of 49 Creamy Whipped Potato Casserole Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Creamy Whipped Potato Casserole Our Test Kitchen said this is the fluffiest mashed potato casserole they've ever created. 28 of 49 Red Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Red Potato Salad Fresh herbs balance out the rich flavor that bacon gives this new potato salad recipe. 29 of 49 Hash Brown Patties Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Prissy Lee Recipe: Hash Brown Patties Frozen shredded hash browns become something beautiful when made into crispy, golden patties. 30 of 49 Melting Sweet Potatoes Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Melting Sweet Potatoes If you're over the usual sweet potato casserole you serve on holidays, try serving something new and beautiful. 31 of 49 Deviled Egg-Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Deviled Egg-Potato Salad We combined two Southern favorites—deviled eggs and potato salad—in this side dish that will be the star of every summer supper. 32 of 49 Fried Skillet Potatoes Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Fried Skillet Potatoes These crispy potatoes are delicious at breakfast, brunch, or dinner. 33 of 49 Andrew's Potato Latkes Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Andrew's Potato Latkes This no-fuss latkes recipe will be your go-to way to whip up a batch. 34 of 49 Perini Ranch Steakhouse Southern Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Pecans Robbie Caponetto; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Perini Ranch Steakhouse Southern Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Pecans Tom Perini of the Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas, shared his family recipe that's been feeding happy guests for more than 37 years. 35 of 49 Mashed Potato Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey Recipe: Mashed Potato Casserole This mashed potato casserole will go with basically any main dish you serve. Instead of one or the other, we topped it with breadcrumbs and crispy fried onions. 36 of 49 Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Recipe: Oven-Baked Sweet Potatoes A little bit of seasoning and butter make for an easy, delicious way to cook sweet potatoes at dinnertime. 37 of 49 Crispy Potato Galette Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Crispy Potato Galette Crispy, creamy, and totally Instagram-worthy side dish will impress your family. 38 of 49 Air Fryer French Fries Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Air Fryer French FriesWhat's the point in having an Air Fryer if you don't use it to make French fries that are better-than-takeout? 39 of 49 Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes This easy side dish only takes 10 minutes of hands-on time and six ingredients. 40 of 49 Potato Salad with Sweet Pickles Southern Living Recipe: Potato Salad with Sweet Pickles Sweet pickles add a zesty, tangy kick to this simple potato salad recipe. 41 of 49 Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole You can prep this sweet potato casserole up to four days in advance to help you out before a big holiday. 42 of 49 Mashed Potato Cakes Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Mashed Potato Cakes We'd happily enjoy these patties at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 43 of 49 Instant Pot Potato Salad Photography and Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Instant Pot Potato Salad Your Instant Pot helps make classic potato salad quicker than ever. 44 of 49 Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Recipe: Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries You don't need a deep-fryer or even an air fryer to make crispy sweet potato fries in a flash. 45 of 49 Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Vidalia Onions Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Vidalia Onions For family members who are lactose-intolerant, holidays can feel unbearable with all the heavy cream-laden food. Treat them to classic mashed potatoes with a dairy-free, caramelized onion-filled spin. 46 of 49 Melting Potatoes Micah A. Leal Recipe: Melting Potatoes Melting potatoes have become an internet sensation—and now you'll understand why. These are deliciously crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. 47 of 49 Grilled Sweet Potato Fries Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Grilled Sweet Potato Fries Sweet potato fries are transformed when cooked on the grill and topped with honey and queso fresco. 48 of 49 Basic Baked Potato Geshas/Getty Images Recipe: Basic Baked Potato Every cook needs to know how to make a Basic Baked Potato, and this recipe will be your guide. 49 of 49 Sweet Potato Stacks Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Sweet Potato Stacks This grown-up, gorgeous version of your favorite sweet potato casserole is perfect for personal portioning. Was this page helpful? 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