Best Potato Comfort Food Recipes

Whether you use them to create a main entree or a tasty side dish, you can’t get much more versatile, delicious and comforting than potatoes! If you’re looking for some hearty meals and snacks to bring a little more comfort to life, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll explore comforting potato recipes — but first, let’s touch on what comfort food is. 

What Is Comfort Food?

It’s just as it sounds — comfort food is food people eat when they want to feel better. Comfort foods often evoke feelings of nostalgia and are linked to childhood memories of cooking and enjoying meals with family and friends. Common examples might include lasagne, pizza, ice cream, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and mac and cheese, but comfort foods ultimately differ based on cultural experiences and food preferences.

So, why are potatoes a comfort food? Well, they’re often served hot or accompanied by other comfort food favorites, like butter, cheese and bacon. They are also rich in tryptophan and potassium, which play a role in your body’s production of serotonin. Serotonin — often considered a “feel-good” chemical — helps regulate your mood and protect your gut.  

4 Comforting Potato Recipes

Hearty potato dishes can be relished any time you need a little pick-me-up. Here are some comfort foods made with potatoes that are easy to prepare and serve. 

Classic Cottage Pie

Otherwise known as shepherd’s pie, cottage pie is a delicious recipe made with either lamb or beef. This base filling can also be substituted with mixed vegetables for a vegetarian alternative. Here’s a recipe for the ultimate comfort food with mashed potatoes — a tasty cottage pie.

Cook 1 pound of beef or lamb, 2 medium chopped carrots and 1 medium chopped onion in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft, drain the pan. Stir in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of freshly diced parsley, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, ¾ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. 

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. Gradually stir in 1 ½ cups of reduced-sodium beef broth and 2 tablespoons of dry red wine — or an additional 2 tablespoons of beef broth if you’d prefer to omit the wine. Bring all these ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally until it thickens, and add ½ cup of frozen peas. 

Next, you’ll prepare the potato topping. Boil 4 medium-sized, peeled and cubed potatoes. Once boiling, cover the pot and allow the potatoes to cook for 10-15 minutes. Drain and mash them with ½ cup of 2% milk and ¼ cup of butter. Add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the meat filling into a 9-inch greased deep dish plate, and spread the potato topping evenly over it. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Serve this mouthwatering dish with sides of your choice.

The dish takes about 45 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake, serving six people once done. 

Creamy Cheese and Potato Bake

Primarily served as a side dish, potato bake is a winner, especially during cold winter months. Plus, kids love this dish as much as adults!

Follow these instructions for the creamiest cheese and potato bake recipe. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 80-90 minutes to bake and serves 6-8 people. 

To start, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil 3 pounds of peeled potatoes — about 6-8 medium potatoes — until soft, and cut them into thin slices once cooled. 

Cook 1 finely chopped onion in a buttered pan until soft. Then, add 1 ¼ cup full-fat milk, 1 ¾ cup double cream and ½ cup white wine and cook through at low heat. Put this mixture aside and return to your potatoes. Place them in a large bowl, and pour the milk, cream and wine mixture over the top. Add 3 finely chopped sage leaves and ¼ cup grated cheese. Stir carefully and set aside. 

Grease a large baking dish with butter. Spread the potatoes evenly in the baking dish, and sprinkle another ¼ cup of cheese over the top. Season with black pepper to taste.

Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 40 minutes or until the dish is golden brown. Serve with a crisp salad or meat dish or on its own!

Spicy Cajun Potato Salad

If you’re looking for comforting potato recipes for summer, you can’t go wrong with potato salad. The best part about potato salad is how versatile it is. You can make it simple or add some spice for a unique twist that’s no less comforting. This spicy cajun potato salad recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook. Chilling time is up to you, and you’ll enjoy around 20 generous servings. 

Bring 5 pounds of peeled and cubed potatoes — or about 10-15 medium potatoes total — to a boil in a Dutch oven that also contains ½ a large yellow onion. Once boiling, add ½ a medium lemon and ½ teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Chop the remaining onion. Combine the onion with 8 chopped hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup of dill pickle relish, ¼ cup of mustard, 1-2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning and 1 ½ cups of mayonnaise. Set aside. Drain and rinse the potatoes, and add them to the egg mixture, making sure to discard the lemon and onion. Mix everything well without breaking the potatoes. 

Refrigerate for a few hours, and sprinkle with paprika and parsley before serving.

Chocolate Potato Cake

Cake and potatoes may be an unlikely combination, but this delightful dessert will make you rethink the potato’s versatility! This easy recipe takes approximately 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to bake, excluding cooling. You should get about 12 slices. 

Before starting, mash 1 cup of potatoes — without butter and milk — and allow to cool. Once you’ve got your cold mashed potatoes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease and flour two 9-inch round baking tins. 

Mix 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of softened butter in a large bowl until the mixture is fluffy and light. Add 2 eggs, one at a time. Next, add your mashed potatoes and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

In a separate bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 2 cups of all-purpose flour and ½ cup of cocoa. Slowly stir this mixture into the wet ingredients, alternating with 1 cup of low-fat milk. For example, add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Then, add ⅓ of the milk and mix well. Continue alternating until everything has been mixed together. Then, stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts. 

Pour the mixture into the baking tins, and cook for 25-30 minutes. 

To prepare the icing, cook ½ cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Add ¼ cup evaporated milk, continually stirring until it boils. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool before stirring in 2 cups of powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

Spread the icing on one cake and place the second cake on top. Then, frost the entire outside of the cake and enjoy!

Choose Keystone Potato Products for Your Potato-Based Comfort Foods

Potato-based meals are easy to prepare with fresh, pre-cut potatoes. There are endless possibilities where potatoes are concerned!

If you’re looking to purchase wholesale potatoes to create comfort meals to serve at your school cafeteria, restaurant or other business, Keystone Potato Products provides wholesale potatoes in various forms. Submit a contact request form today!