These Potato Recipes Are the Best Part of Thanksgiving (After the Turkey)

A classic for a reason.

The secret to perfect mashed potatoes? Knowing when to stop. Mash potatoes with softened butter and warm milk until they’re creamy but still have some chunks remaining. Thin-skinned potatoes, cut into pieces, cook quickly and are easiest to mash.

Leeks can be hard to clean, but they’re worth the effort for their sweet, subtle yet unmistakable flavor. Cooked until very tender, they blend beautifully with mashed potatoes.

These bright green potatoes add a bolt of color to the Thanksgiving table. Although luxuriously creamy, they have a nice tang to balance the richness.

A deft Moroccan twist on a warm, cheesy, comforting winner.

Rich, brown butter infused with the flavor of hazelnuts makes a decadent, but easy addition to mashed potatoes.

Noisette, “hazelnut” in French, here refers to tiny potato balls that are are crisped until brown. Then they’re piled on a bed of rich potato purée. Despite the vast amount of butter, the purée doesn’t taste greasy. That said, you can still make luscious potatoes with half the butter.

The tricks to achieving very creamy mashed potatoes are to not overcook them and to whip them just until smooth (if you overwhip, they’ll get gluey). Serve some of the butter on the side, so guests can determine their level of richness.

Los Angeles chef Shigefumi Tachibe wakes up mashed potatoes with wasabi and soy sauce for an untraditional but delicious version of a Thanksgiving favorite.

You’ll love these rich and creamy potatoes. Bright green chives add a hint of garlicky goodness.

We’ve used two low-calorie tricks in here: broth instead of whipping cream, and neufchâtel cheese for rich creaminess with one-fourth the fat of butter.

Save potato and parsnip peels for a wispy, crisp topping. The salty strips pair well with the sweetness of parsnips.

Mashed potatoes are even better blended with celery root, which has a gentle but penetrating flavor. Don’t be deterred by the root’s hairy exterior; just trim it off with a knife.

Once you try bacon cream, you may want to put it on everything. It takes potatoes to an unprecedented level of deliciousness.

Sweet, tangy dill and butter cling to tender, crisp potatoes. We love these potatoes with turkey but they’re perfect alongside a burger too.

This dish has Southern roots but omits the usual candied syrup.

This is a decadent yet savory way to serve sweet potatoes. If you’re expecting vegetarians, make a couple of potatoes without the bacon. One potato can be enough for at least four people, depending on its size.

Virgin coconut oil has a clean, slightly nutty taste that’s delicious in this dish. Deborah Madison, who adapted this recipe from one in a new revision of her book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (1997), likes to use a mix of sweet potatoes, but it’s fine to go with just one kind. Paler sweet potatoes tend to be drier, so if you use them, add more oil.

Aromatic rosemary-scented potatoes are perfect with grilled turkey. Make use of the hot grill while the turkey rests before craving.

Cheaper than the competition and induction-burner-compatible. 

Don’t bother with the single-purpose carving knife. Buy this chic, blonde, Pakawood-handled, Japanese-made chef’s knife that’s got all the ceremonial swagger but year-round usefulness.

You’re going need that little juice groove. Made of antimicrobial maple, it’s handsome enough to use as a rustic serving platter. 

Slightly deeper than competition, this updated version of the classic glass pie plate also comes with a handy domed lid that’ll protect even the loftiest cream pies.

Gotta love a fat separator for easily discarding the lipids while tidily reserving the drippings (which have about 10 times the flavor of the turkey itself). Plus it doubles as a measuring pitcher you can use the rest of the year.