Potatoes aren’t just affordable, they’re also the perfect food for growing kids. They taste great in pretty much every dish (depending on how you prepare them), so they should be a staple in your family. 

But what, specifically, should you make with them? What’s going to get your kids excited and make them ask for more?

Cheesy Potato Tots

One of the easiest dishes to make with potatoes is cheesy potato tots. These are the ultimate finger food and perfect for dipping in sauces like ketchup. 

To make these, you’ll need some mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, an egg, flour, and some breadcrumbs. Tots are simple to make. You just roll the ingredients in the breadcrumbs and then bake them in the oven for a crispy, gooey sensation that’s great for after-school. 

Potato Smiley Faces

You might also want to experiment with potato smiley faces. These are essentially cute smiley faces that make the process of eating potatoes more fun for kids. 

Obviously, you can buy frozen smiley-faced potatoes in the frozen aisle at your local grocery store. However, you can also make them yourself (which is the healthier option). All you need is a smile-face cutting tool, some flour, mashed potato, egg, seasoning and possibly some grated Parmesan. 

Funeral Potatoes

Don’t worry about the name! Following a proper funeral potatoes recipe is one of the most delicious things you can make for your kids (and yourself, too). 

The best way to think of funeral potatoes is as a cheesy hashbrown potato casserole. The melted cheese makes the whole dish so much more exciting, especially when paired with the crispiness of the hash brown elements.

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Another recipe for kids that’s pretty easy to make is mashed potato pancakes or potato cakes. These are a bit of fun for breakfast and a nice change from convention flour pancakes. 

The best way to make them is with leftover mashed potato. By itself, leftover potato never tastes good, but when you combine it with some egg, flour and shredded cheese and fry it in a pan, you can quickly give it a new lease of life.

Loaded Potato Skins

If you have some spare potato skins lying around, then don’t just throw them away. Instead, make them into loaded potato skins. These are like little boats of tastiness that sail into your children’s mouths. 

For loaded potato skins, you’ll need some cooked bacon, sour cream, chopped green onions, and cheddar cheese. Then, all you need to do is load up the skins and bake them in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese melts. Just add the sour cream at the end, after cooking. 

Potato Pizza Bites

Finally, you could take a look at making some potato pizza bites. It sounds strange, but it is remarkably delicious.

To make potato pizza bites, cook the potato, slice it, and then place it on a baking sheet. Then top with all the usual pizza toppings, like pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and mini pepperoni slices. 

Top Photo: Image Credit