While I’ve never come up short brainstorming great foods with potatoes as the main ingredient, I was delighted to see that Idaho Potato’s recipe section goes above and beyond the standard hash browns and casseroles and even offers some intriguing dessert options.

My company is having a cook-off, and my first instinct is to go all in with a classic staple like mashed potatoes, but I figure I won’t be alone in this strategy. What is my surest bet in winning over as many taste buds as possible? Stick with a traditional recipe, do traditional with a twist, or go left-field with a dessert? Can you do me the honor of selecting my recipe?

Thanks for the kind words about our recipe section! We’re happy that you’re able to find a diverse selection of recipes to choose from. Many of our over-the-top recipes have been featured in foodservice ads or in our chef’s calendar on the foodservice section of the website. Check these out:

• Advertising: on the left side of the page are the ads by each year.
• Chef's Calendar: the pork tots are a fun way to put an Asian twist on a typical breakfast item, Tater Tots, and nearly everyone loves those.
• Easy but Exciting Potato Dish for Party: these potato lollipops made with russet potatoes allow for audience participation too by adding sauces. I do think it needs some additional spice to make the potatoes more interesting.

Now back to the cooking contest. What kind of cooking equipment will you have? How many finished dishes are needed for the judges, or is it a popular vote? Full-sized dishes or bite-sized appetizers? Judging style completely determines the approach I would take. If the judges are a wide audience of people from different backgrounds besides food, they are not going to be adventurous. They also may be looking for something they could make at home. In that case, I might make mashed potatoes three ways or using small potatoes, make this Easter Egg Idaho® Potatoes recipe with different ingredients (note, there is a video showing the basic steps): 

Easter Egg Idaho® Potatoes

If there will be a table, something easy to serve might be a good idea. The refried mashed potatoes are easy to heat up and portion out tastes: 

Refried Mashed Idaho® Potatoes with Pork Tenderloin

Want to WOW the judges? Try this Potato Volcano (It’s a version of one made by a famous NY chef David Chang): Video: How to Make The Potato Volcano

Idaho® Potato Volcano

Let me know what recipe you end up using and how it’s received!