There are many reasons we love potatoes, the main one being they're basically a hot carb masquerading as a vegetable.
When paired with the right ingredients (ahem, garlic and butter), potatoes are bursting with flavour, and can be prepared in so many delicious and comforting ways, whether it's fried, sautéed, baked, roasted or mashed.
To celebrate this gem of a food, here are seven ways to bake potato -- from loaded wedges and roasted potato and bacon salad, to garlic matchstick fries and crispy smashed potatoes with pesto.
1. Crispy roasted potato wedges with pumpkin, lentils and goat cheese
From How Sweet Eats.
Crispy potato wedges are great on their own, but sometimes they deserve some love -- in this case, from sweet, rich pumpkin puree, seasoned lentils, crumbled goat cheese, lemon aioli drizzle and fresh herbs.
2. Roasted potato salad with bacon dressing
From Foodie Crush.
What's better than regular potato salad? Roasted potato salad. With bacon. And mustard onions. HuffPost Australia office tip: use duck fat to get super crispy roast potatoes.
3. Crispy smashed potatoes with garlic pesto
From Minimalist Baker.
Get ready for crispy, tender smashed and roasted potatoes with a flavour-packed garlic herb pesto. And you only need nine ingredients and one hour to make them. Carbs and garlic for the win.
4. Loaded twice-baked red potatoes
From Foodie Crush.
These little cheesy potato surprises start with whole roasted potatoes. Then all you need to do is scoop out the fluffy potato flesh, mix with butter, buttermilk, cheese and bacon, place the mixture back into the potato shell, and bake until the cheese has melted.
5. Crispy baked garlic matchstick fries
From Minimalist Baker.
Fries fans, this recipe is for you. These crispy fries are perfectly salty, tender on the inside, garlicky and incredibly moreish. Serve with tomato sauce and you're done.
6. One-pan chicken with lemon garlic potatoes
From A Saucy Kitchen.
For baked potatoes with extra flavour, roast them along with spiced chicken, lemon, garlic, oregano and paprika. Once baked, the one-pan roast becomes golden, caramelised and the chicken slightly charred on top.
7. Lentil shepherd's pie
From Jessica in the Kitchen.
This recipe calls for creamy garlic mashed potatoes, but it's layered on top of a rich, satisfying lentil and veggie base, and baked until golden. It's easy to make, delicious, vegan and perfect for leftovers.