The 5 potato dishes dominating our most-saved Christmas recipes list
Recently, we took a peek at our list of most-saved recipes OF ALL TIME. We were super curious to see what all of you have been bookmarking and making, and it was quite the surprise.
We expected to see the classics: a sweet slice or two, a crowd-pleasing weeknight chicken dinner, maybe a decadent pav.
But what we didn’t expect? Potatoes. Soooo many potatoes.
You have clearly told us that the humble spud is your most reliable ingredient go-to. Whether you’re feeding a crowd, bringing a plate or rounding out the glazed ham and prawns on the table at Christmas, potato dishes continue to top our list of saved recipes year after year.
We knew we’d find a few potato dishes in the list – but not the overwhelming amount – in fact, well over a third of the list.
Why potatoes are so loved by Aussies
When you think about it, why wouldn’t they have dominated the list? Potatoes are endlessly versatile – you can cook them in so many different ways, eat them hot or cold, and with or without dressings and various seasonings.
There are also zillions of potato recipes out there, so finding a great one can feel like all your Christmasses have come at once.
RELATED: 85 potato bakes that will complete your Christmas table > (https://www.taste.com.au/entertaining/galleries/potato-bakes-complete-christmas-table/kim95b9h)
Speaking of Christmas. So that you don’t have to spend your precious time scrolling through spud recipe after spud recipe after spud recipe to find new family faves, our gift to you is this...
Our top 5 most-saved potato recipes
There’s good reason why these 5 dishes are loved by so many people. And any one of them deserves a place on your Christmas menu this year.
- Classic potato salad
This no-nonsense potato salad has more than 60 glowing reviews and is everything you could want in a summer Christmas side: tender potatoes, a creamy mayonnaise dressing, herbs and the perfect balance of tang.
Why you’ve saved it
It’s served cold (which is great over a hot Aussie summer), nostalgic, fail-proof and goes with absolutely everything – glazed ham, roast chook, cold prawns, you name it. Plus, it uses ingredients most of us already have in the fridge. Most importantly, it feeds a crowd, making it THE stand-out ‘bring-a-plate’ salad and barbecue bestie.
“This recipe has really levelled me up in my potato salad game! I made it for Christmas lunch yesterday and everyone thought it was amazingly good. I’m definitely keeping this recipe as my standard one from now on,” says taste member coffeefiend.
How to make it
So easy. You simply fry some chopped bacon and onion and then place it in a serving bowl with some chopped boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Make a dressing by combining some mayonnaise and vinegar, and then gently toss it into the potato mixture. Serve topped with some finely chopped gherkins (for amazing tang) and sliced green shallot.
RELATED: Our best potato salads for the ultimate Christmas feast > (https://www.taste.com.au/galleries/best-sweet-potato-potato-salad-recipes/8hrzy4vn)
- Hasselbacon potato bake
This hasselback potato bake takes the elegance of hasselback potatoes, the comfort of a creamy potato bake and the flavour hit of bacon, then merges them into one showstopping tray bake. The thin slices of potato fan out and crisp up beautifully, while soaking up the cheesy, smoky yumminess.
Why you’ve saved it
This bake is the WOW moment every Christmas table needs. Visually impressive with minimal effort, this potato dish (with a cute name) also tastes as good as it looks. Who doesn’t adore a potato-bacon-cheese combo? This one is just made for sitting alongside a roast turkey or glazed ham.
“I make this every year for a Christmas lunch-hot meal for a crowd of 20. It’s the first dish to be cleaned up by everyone, including the kids,” says taste member ginw0001.
How to make it
Heat some cream, garlic and thyme in a small saucepan until just simmering, then season and set the pan aside to infuse the flavours. Meanwhile, ‘hasselback’ your potatoes by making thin cuts over the top of each one. Pop them in a baking pan and top with some grated cheddar and chopped bacon.
Whisk some French onion soup mix into the cream mixture and pour it all over the ingredients in the pan. Bake, covered, until the potatoes are tender, sprinkle with more cheese and bacon, and then bake uncovered until everything is deliciously golden and crispy. Serve sprinkled with chives for a festive finish.
- Cheesy potato bake
This is the creamy, golden-topped, bubbling-at-the-edges potato bake that every family fights over (including mine). Layers of sliced potato are baked in a rich, cheesy sauce until melt-in-the-mouth tender. Oh yeah!
Why you’ve saved it
See paragraph above! This is a potato bake exactly the way we want it – simple, indulgent and unbelievably comforting. It also feeds a crowd on a budget, and is the ultimate “I’ll bring a vegie side!” Christmas or BBQ contribution.
“Great!!!! AMAZING! If you are trying to pick a recipe, PICK THIS ONE!” says taste member tiara2008.
How to make it
Just 5 ingredients – butter, flour, milk, cheese and potatoes (of course). You start by making a cheesy white sauce, then you layer thin slices of potato in a baking dish with the sauce. Top with grated cheese (you can never have too much) and then bake for an hour until the potato is tender and the top is gloriously golden.
- Crispy air fryer potato salad
Forget the boiling pan of water during a hot Chrissy Day – this genius air fryer potato salad uses everyone’s favourite appliance to get your potatoes lightly crisp and caramelised before tossing them in a creamy-herby dressing. And it’s ridiculously quick.
Why you’ve saved it
We’ve all fallen in love with the convenience of an air fryer, and this recipe frees up precious kitchen space during the busiest cooking day of the year. It’s also an easy Christmas side that tastes just that little bit more interesting, merging a traditional potato salad with roasted spuds. We adore that you can get all that caramelised crispy potato heaven, plus a creamy dreamy dressing, without any major effort. This ‘salad’ is great served at any summer affair, but I like to plop it on the table as part of a Christmas banquet and then watch the tongs fly.
“I made this on Christmas Day. Was super quick and easy. And was really yum :),” says taste member kathyjm22.
How to make it
Super easy to make, you begin by mixing some mayo and a packet of French onion soup mix in a bowl. Toss in some halved baby potatoes and then transfer the lot to your air fryer basket. Air fry for 15 minutes, then place some bacon rashers on top of the potato chunks and air fry for 10 minutes.
Combine some more mayo with sour cream, lemon juice and chives in a jug, and season with pepper. Transfer your air-fried potato to a serving bowl and pour over the sour cream mixture. Coarsely chop the bacon and scatter it over the top to serve.
- Caramelised muffin pan potato gratins
Imagine this. Thin slices of potato stacked into muffin pans with cream, butter and cheese, then baked until crisp on the edges and soft inside, which then flip out as perfectly elegant, individual stacks.
Our caramelised muffin pan potato gratins regularly go viral on socials, so we weren’t surprised to see them in our most-saved list.
Why you’ve saved it
Potatoes cooked as individual serves are not only genius from a catering point of view, they look super fancy, too. The humble spud is not so humble when made into pretty stacks such as these that are guaranteed to impress (despite being so very easy to make). Our gratins are ideal for Christmas entertaining when you want to bring out the white tablecloth and the good silverware, or just make a fuss.
“It was very popular at my large family gathering. I have been asked to make it again this Christmas,” says taste member JHissey.
How to make it
The prep for the gratins is very easy. You cut some potatoes into very thin slices, then make 12 even stacks and place inside 12 muffin pan holes. Pour over some garlic-infused cream, cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Combine some golden syrup and melted butter and brush over the tops of the potato stacks. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve sprinkled with chives, if you like.
If our 5 top-saved potato recipes tell us anything, it’s this
Aussies want potatoes at Christmas, and they want them to taste and look amazing.
On that we can certainly deliver!
But, more than that, underneath all the scattered bacon, cheese and herbs, potatoes will always be comfort food – whether they’re roasted, baked, crisped in the air fryer, folded through a creamy salad or layered into a cheesy gratin.
As our most-saved recipes prove, potatoes are the non-negotiable star of the Christmas table that we serve up when we want something familiar and absolutely delicious… and they’ll most certainly be there again next year!
