Perfect potatoes every time Fifteen recipes and six principles for superb spuds March 16, 2021 Potatoes are affordable, abundant, nutritious and delicious. From the basic baked potato to French fries to potato blinis with caviar, how you handle your potatoes is key to the success of your dish. A few basic principles will help you elicit potato perfection. Use the right potato for the job. Baking potatoes, such as Idaho russets, cook up starchy and fluffy. Their high starch content makes for creamy mashed potatoes, billowy gnocchi and crisp-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside potato pancakes. Gold potatoes with their buttery flavor and creamy texture are great roasted and in gratins. For the creamiest mashes, use russets or gold potatoes. Use less starchy red, baby or new potatoes when you want more intense potato flavor and for the potatoes to retain their shape, as with a potato salad.