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So many ways to eat potatoes, so little time, am I right? I could eat potatoes all day, every day (although my metabolism would beg to differ). And while there are too many potato snacks and sides to list 'em all, some are just waaaaay better than others. 

Given my status as a potato aficionado as well as my vast experience with potatoes as a cookbook author and recipe developer, I'm here to rank my fave potato snacks and sides from the good to the even better to the best. 

I'd like to make it clear, as I begin, that potato salad is not the worst potato dish. Nay — it's not even the worst of the best. On a warm summer day with other picnic foods? Heaven! Whether you choose a creamy potato salad with all the fixins or a warm, acidic German potato salad, it's a great use of spuds. But there are many others I like a lot better! Still, put a potato salad in front of me, and I have no complaints.

From Irish boxty to potato latkes, what's not to love about a golden, crisp-on-the-outside, tender on the inside potato pancake? These mouthwatering morsels will be the star of any meal or a spudsational snack you won't be able to resist. 

There's something super vintagey about twice-baked potatoes, but that doesn't mean they aren't yummy. Sure, you don't see them a ton anymore, but I was reminded just how much I loved 'em in the 80s when I had a steak dinner in Vegas a few years ago, and the side was a cheesy, pillowy, crispy on the outside, twice-baked potato. 

They say you never get over your first love, and with twiced-baked potatoes, that's totally true for me! They're a bit of a pain in the butt to make, but they make a fun throwback side for a fancy dinner or a meal all by themselves. Don't forget the bacon bits!

Back when I was in college in the 80s, I worked in an in-store bakery that also sold deli items, and every day I'd fry up a big batch of potato wedges. And yeah — they were okay. I used to get to take the leftovers at the end of the day back to my dorm after my shift, where I was descended upon by a pack of very hungry college students who never said no to free food. 

And sure, oil-friend potato wedges are good and all — even at the end of a long shift. But my favorite type of potato wedges are the ones I toss in duck fat (trust me, try it — you'll find here that the duck fat and potatoes combo is a recurring and delicious theme with me), roast on high heat, and season with my secret blend of salt and herbs (truffle salt is involved). They are spectacular as a side or snack, and if you cut the wedges just so (and use Russet potatoes), you get the perfect ratio of crisp and flavorful exterior to fluffy, soft interior. So good!

I include these two together because they're similar. The difference? Cheese (au gratin). Either way, these creamy potatoes are another classic side that has a little bit of a vintage feel. In the 70s and 80s, my mom would serve them for fancy family meals (usually with a ham as the main dish), and we'd gobble them up. 

I'd argue that these creamy, cheesy bites of goodness have just as much of a place at a modern table, especially if you're surrounded by spud lovers (and honestly, who doesn't love potatoes?). They're the perfect side in a classic meat-and-potatoes meal. 

Related: Creative Twists on Scalloped Potatoes

You may be surprised to find this classic snack so far down on my list, but hear me out. I. Love. Potato chips. There's absolutely no replacement for that crispy, shattering crunch along with the just-right amount of salt and, of course, potato flavor. But there are so many delicious spud-based snacks that while I can't eat just one chip, they're also not at the top of my list.

Whether you like them with a creamy classic dip or prefer them adding crunch to your favorite burger or peanut butter sandwich, there's a reason Americans eat around 2 billion (yes — billion with a b) pounds of potato chips every year... because they're yummy!

Related: Spud-Lovers Guide to Cooking Potatoes Perfectly Every Time

When my son was a teenager, he discovered potato skins. We'd buy boxes of frozen potato skins, and he'd cook them in the toaster oven almost every day for a snack, so there was a period of six or seven years that our house always smelled like potato skins. Tough problem to have, right?

When I was a kid, I used the skins of my baked potatoes to hide my peas so I didn't have to eat them. But then potato skins started to make an appearance on appetizer menus, and I was hooked. Crisp, earthy potato skins. Gooey cheese. Smoky bacon. Yep — that's the stuff!

Would you like fries with that? How is that even a question? But it's one I asked over and over when I worked at Burger King in high school, and you know what? Very few people ever said no in the days before the combo meal. Because everybody loves fries.

And while ranking the various types of fries and even the fries from different restaurant chains is an article all by itself, the bottom line is this: a deep-fried French fry (I like them thin cut, crispy, and salty) is a thing of beauty. Whether you dip them in ketchup, aioli, or are a purist who eats 'em straight, Americans are answering yes to the fries question and consuming . 

Take a regular french fry, cut it in a fun spiral shape, and add lots of crispy seasoning to the exterior, and you've got the evolution of the fry — curly fries. If they're on the menu, I'll order them over fries every time. Believe it or not, curly fries have been around since the late 30s... so they've got staying power. 

If mashed potatoes and French fries had a baby, you'd wind up with potato croquettes — light and fluffy on the inside and golden crisp on the outside. I fell in love with potato croquettes on a trip to Victoria, B.C., Canada a few years ago at a restaurant called The Courtney Room that serves rectangular bites of perfection that they call potatoes Courtney. They're little, puffy bites of deep-fried heaven. 

And speaking of Canada, I'd be remiss if I left poutine off my list. While I'm not Canadian, I live close enough to the border to visit frequently, and let me tell you — Canada got poutine right! Crispy fries. Gooey cheese curds. Gravy. It's an absolute delight, and nobody does it better than Canada. 

Hasselback potatoes have been around since the 1950s, but they became a social media darling a few years back because they're just so darn pretty. The crispy and tender potatoes originated in Sweden, and they're delicious whether you enjoy them alone or topped will all sorts of good stuff. I'm a fan of drizzling them with a little melted duck fat before cooking. So good!!

I'll take my potatoes pretty much any way I can get them, and in the fall and winter, loaded baked potato soup hits the spot. It's warming and creamy, and the garnishes take it over the top. You'll find the recipe here in our warming winter soups article. It's my favorite potato-as-a-meal way to get my spuds. 

Believe me when I tell you that if I could eat hash browns every morning for breakfast, I would. Just hash browns. With maybe some bacon bits and chopped green onion sprinkled in and topped with sriracha ketchup. Not everyone can cook them right, but these shredded potatoes are at their best when they're good and crispy with just a little potato tenderness left in. 

Baked potatoes — actually baked in the oven or air fryer (and not cooked in the microwave) are absolutely amazing. The earthy, crisp peel. The fluffy, tender insides. All the stuff you can top them with. Whether you have them as a side or make them the whole meal and top them with something like pulled pork, there's no beating a classic oven-baked potato. 

It's the simplicity of roasted baby potatoes that makes them so delicious. These tender taters are small enough to roast up quickly in high heat, and when you toss them with oil and a little salt and pepper, you get a crispy outside, a starchy and tender inside, and a simple side dish that's as easy to prepare as it is to eat. 

Mashed potatoes are my ultimate comfort food. Light, airy, buttery, and delicious. They make the perfect side for almost everything. They're just as good with gravy as without it. You can add cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, or anything you want to make them your own. They are the ultimate potato side dish in a meat-and-potatoes meal — or a delicious meal all by themselves. 

I told my husband I was writing this article and asked him to guess what I'd put at number 1. He got it on the first try. My love for tater tots is well-known, but they must be fried... the baked ones are way down on the list. To me they're the perfect food. Bite sized. Crispy golden brown. Fluffy on the inside. Nobody can convince me otherwise.

I once knew this guy at the gym who got a juicer. He was always juicing different things and letting us taste them. One day, I tasted one of his juices and immediately spit it out — it tasted like dirt and sadness. It was potato juice. 

Yeah — raw potatoes don't look like much, and they don't taste very good. But you add a little heat, a little fat, and a little salt, and they transform as if by magic into something incredible. So if you like potatoes like I do, where would you rank your favorites?