The potato is a wonderful starch. Numerous things can be done with it — it can be mashed, baked, fried–the options are limitless. So, without further ado, here are WSN’s top choices for ways to eat a potato.

French Fries

I am very passionate about my love for potatoes, so this was a hard decision for me to make. I wrestled with it all week until I came up with the clear answer: french fries. Mashed potatoes come in at a close second for me, but if done wrong the whole thing’s ruined — too runny or too bland, and it’s all over. Meanwhile, I do not think I have ever met a french fry that I did not like. Sure, I have met some that I did not love, but most french fries are at the very least tolerable. Plus, even within this category, there is so much room for variety: sweet potato fries, waffle fries, curly fries… I digress. Thus, the french fry is the ultimate form of potato, hands down. -Jordan Reynolds, Arts Editor

Hash Browns

My favorite form of the potato is the hash brown, though the potato emoji comes in a close second. I feel like my favorite potato variation should be mashed potatoes, since I am very proudly from the South, but hash browns are quite honestly the perfect potato, if not the perfect food. Think about it — they are warm and savory, so they are perfect for waking you up in the morning. But — and this is really where the hash brown’s versatility comes into play — they are so savory and tasty that you can justify not simply restricting them to the status of breakfast food. You can have hash browns for brunch, lunch and dinner. Who is going to stop you? Next time you crave a divine intervention from the Potato Gods, remember that hash browns are there for you no matter what time of day it is.

–Natasha Roy, Assistant Managing Editor

Lefse

My family was never big on any of our cultural heritage — my grandmother proudly calls herself a mutt and us grandchildren have been used to being similarly relaxed about our ancestry. Except, of course, when it comes to potatoes. Fall and winter time were always peak days for making lefse, what the Norwegians call their beautiful potato crepes. They are some of my fondest memories of potatoes, riced and flattened into a thin disk, then cooked and spread with butter to serve.

–Hailey Nuthals, Editor-at-Large

Mashed Potatoes

Anyone who argues against the superiority of mashed potatoes is simply incorrect. Allow me to explain why. Mashed potatoes are unbelievably versatile — whether used as a compliment in high-class dining, or as a quick minimal effort option served with sausages or chips–mashed potatoes will not let you down. The options are truly endless! You can mash all types of potatoes and add any additional foods to the mixture to cater to your deepest desires. There is nothing better than sinking your teeth into a soft, buttery cloud of mashed potatoes. The essence of this wondrous food can only be described as heavenly.

-Jemima McEvoy, Managing Editor

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