You can never have enough potatoes at Thanksgiving, so there’s always room for mashed potatoes AND something else. Google Trends has a rundown of every state’s SECOND-favorite potato dish, and there are no wrong answers.
Basic baked potatoes were #1 in six states, including Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Vermont, and Idaho, which should probably get TWO votes.
In the northern states, people like to add cheese. Cheesy potatoes are #1 in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, and au gratin are big in Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.
Potato soup is a favorite across middle America, including Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Utah, Oregon, and the Carolinas.
And there were some more unique choices, like:
1. California: Potato tacos.
2. Arizona: Potatoes O’Brien.
3. Colorado: Fingerling potatoes.
4. Kentucky and Virginia: Potato cakes.
5. Tennessee: Potato candy.
6. Pennsylvania: Parsley potatoes.
7. Maine: Potato donuts.
8. New York: Potato pie.
9. Alaska: Scalloped potatoes.
10. Florida: Ensalada de papa Boricua, which is a Puerto Rican potato salad.
Of course you wonder about Nevada? The dish known as Aligot Potatoes are popular here. Aligot is a classic French comfort food from the L’Aubrac region, consisting of smooth, creamy mashed potatoes blended with butter, cream, and a substantial amount of local cheese. The resulting dish is known for its luxurious, silky texture and a distinctive elastic, “stretchy” quality, often served with a grilled sausage or roasted meat.
(You can find the full map here. And here are some popular non-potato Thanksgiving sides.)
