17 Best Recipes Using Yukon Gold Potatoes

Classic French Gratin Dauphinois — The Spruce / Diana Mocanu

Prized for their buttery, earthy flavor, light yellow flesh, and moist, uniform texture, Yukon Gold potatoes are an MVP of the tater league. The first Yukon Gold potato was created in Canada in the 1950s by agricultural scientist Gary Johnston, who crossbred a wild Peruvian yellow potato with a white-skinned American spud. He named the new variety after the Yukon River with its historical link to the Klondike Gold Rush.

Wildly versatile and available year-round, Yukon Golds are the potato of choice for many top chefs. Their medium starch content (somewhere between a starchy russet and a waxy red or new potato) makes them true multipurpose potatoes for use in a wide variety of cooking applications, including roasting, baking, boiling, frying, grilling, and sautéing.

Yukon Gold potatoes are a popular choice for french fries and are superb for making velvety mashes, gratins, hash browns, creamy chowders, and potato salads. They pair well with butter, cream, garlic, cheese, bacon, and herbs such as oregano, dill, cilantro, sage, basil, rosemary, and tarragon.

As a general rule, unless otherwise noted, you can use Yukon Gold potatoes anywhere you would use a red or white potato. Store these potatoes for up to two weeks in a cool (but not cold), dry, dark location.

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Perfect Mashed Potatoes

The Spruce / Loren Runion

Mashed potatoes are ideal for serving with roast beef dinners, bangers and mash, and make a tasty holiday side dish. The addition of warm butter and milk creates a gorgeous mash with tons of body and flavor.
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Lemony Greek Potatoes With Oregano and Garlic

The Spruce

Fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, Greek lemon potatoes are an essential side dish for pork or chicken souvlaki, lamb burgers, and other Mediterranean mains. This magical recipe skips the usual step of parboiling and instead adds a little water to the bottom of the roasting pan for perfect potatoes in a single step.
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Classic French Gratin Dauphinois

The Spruce / Diana Mocanu

Creamy, garlicky, and meltingly delicious, classic French gratin Dauphinois is about as good as it gets when it comes to bistro-style comfort food. Simmering the potato slices on the stovetop before assembling and baking in a casserole dish topped with shredded Gruyère cheese produces an unbelievably tender, rich-tasting gratin.
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Easy Oven French Fries

The Spruce

Avoid the fat, calories, and mess of stovetop frying with this genius recipe for oven-baked french fries. For the crispy, tender fries of your dreams, cut the potatoes into uniform strips and place them in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to reduce the starch. Dress simply with salt or your choice of seasonings.

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Potato and Onion Frittata (Tortilla Española)

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Potatoes are the star of this dense, creamy Spanish frittata that is one of Spain's most beloved national recipes. The humble combination of yellow potatoes, onion, and eggs cooked in olive oil is exceptionally tasty and makes an inspired brunch dish or breakfast- for-dinner idea. You might also slice it into wedges for a delicious, tapas-style appetizer.
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Traditional Irish Colcannon

The Spruce

It's a lucky day, to be sure, when you get to eat colcannon, a favorite Irish mashed potato recipe traditionally served at St Patrick's Day suppers. Yukon Gold potatoes are the ideal choice for this creamy mash that includes fresh, crunchy curly kale, a few spring onions, and pats of butter.
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Cauliflower and Potato Soup With Cheddar Cheese

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Rich, hearty, and creamy, with potatoes, cauliflower, nutmeg, and sharp cheddar cheese, this tummy-warming soup is a great soup-and-sandwich lunch option on chilly days. Or dress it up for a starter course at dinner parties, garnishing with herbed garlic croutons, fresh chopped chives, or a drizzle of good-quality olive oil.
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Shepherd's Pie With Potato Topping

OksanaKiian / Getty Images

Ground turkey (or beef) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with the creamiest Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and baked until bubbling and brown, is a comfort food casserole the whole family will enjoy digging into. Assemble it up to three days ahead, storing well-covered in the fridge until ready to bake.

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Golden Potato Salad

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

You can leave your potato peeler in the drawer for this easy potato salad that uses Yukon Gold potatoes and Dijon mustard to achieve the perfect color and texture. With hard-cooked eggs, crunchy celery, and a creamy, tangy dressing that includes dill relish, it makes a standout picnic salad or cookout side dish.
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Classic French Aligot

The Spruce / Diana Mocanu

Classic French aligot is such a delicious and creamy take on mashed potatoes that you may be tempted to eat a bowl of it for dinner. It's a deceptively simple combination of golden potatoes and cheese beaten together with crème fraîche until they form silky, smooth ribbons of pureed potato. Serve to accompany a steak dinner or as a side dish for your holiday roast beef.
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Spicy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

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Spicy, buttery, cheesy, and delicious, nobody would guess that these scalloped potatoes are vegan and cholesterol free. They still taste like a naughty treat, with loads of fantastic flavor and texture from meltingly tender Yukon Gold potatoes, diced green chiles, and a creamy nutritional yeast sauce.
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Grilled Potato Chips With Garlic Aioli

Lisa Marie Thompson / Getty Images

Use a mandoline slicer or a sharp chef's knife to slice potatoes thinly for the ultimate homemade grilled potato chips. They make a fantastic appetizer for summer picnics and game days, served with the included creamy garlic aioli for dipping.

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Hash Brown Potatoes

The Spruce

Upgrade your usual breakfast or brunch plate with these easy, homemade hash brown potatoes that are profoundly more delicious than the frozen, store-bought variety. You won't believe how easy they are to fry up in minutes, for dressing up a plate of bacon and eggs or layering atop baked beans.
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Roasted Potatoes With Parmesan Cheese

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Savory, garlicky roasted potatoes with Parmesan cheese are simple to prepare. Serve them as a tasty side dish with roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or a prime rib roast. Turning the potatoes every 15 minutes or so while cooking will help them come out tender, evenly crisped, and browned all over.
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Moroccan Deep-Fried Potatoes

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Moroccan-spiced deep-fried potatoes are a tasty alternative to french fries or baked potatoes with fried fish, grilled meats, and eggs. Yukon Gold potatoes stand up well to frying and take on a beautiful golden color that will enhance your enjoyment of this buttery, well-spiced side dish.
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Easy Potato Bread

The Spruce

Use Yukon Gold potatoes to form the mash for this scrumptious potato bread. The recipe yields two thick and moist loaves, perfect for making grilled cheese sandwiches, buttering for your breakfast toast, or soaking up the sauces of meatballs, stews, or pulled pork.

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Crock Pot Spicy Chorizo Sausage and Potato Chowder

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

The crock pot makes it easy to prepare this thick and hearty sausage and potato chowder for a satisfying family dinner in one dish. Creamy, spicy, and loaded with delicious sausage and vegetables, it's just the thing to fill you up and keep you warm on cold fall and winter nights.

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