Five To Try – Adelaide’s best posh potatoes

Carb-lovers, listen in now. At these five Adelaide venues, the humble potato is king. See where to find the best in town.

Carb-lovers, listen in now. At these five Adelaide venues, the humble potato is king. See where to find the best in town.

The Salopian Inn

Karena Armstrong, chef and owner at Salopian Inn McLaren Vale. Picture: Sam Pearce

Founded by Tasting Australia director Karena Armstrong, this much-loved eatery is renowned for its creative menu, using local, seasonal produce from its kitchen garden.

There’s dishes inspired by travels around the globe, as well as the local area, but it’s their lard roasted potatoes which always generates plenty of buzz.

Steamed kestrel or royal blue potatoes are peeled, crushed, then roasted in lard – from the venue’s beef trim – with lots of garlic thyme, sage and rosemary from the garden thrown into the mix.

These special spuds are served up to lucky diners with whipped creme fraiche seasoned lightly with black pepper and some garlic oil. It’s truly spud-tacular.

Main Rd, McLaren Vale

2KW Bar & Restaurant

2KW’s Triple cooked salt and vinegar potatoes. Picture: Supplied

The fact that the side dish, triple cooked salt and vinegar potatoes, has remained on the menu since it opened a decade ago speaks volumes. But one word says it all. Legendary.

There are numerous recipes for salt and vinegar potatoes on the internet but don’t try this at home. Why would you even fork out for the ingredients, when for $15 you can get 2KW’s S & V spuds.

Tangy and crispy, with perfect creamy centres, they are Adelaide’s top triple cooked posh tatties. There’s also the added bonus of the money-can’t-buy view from the rooftop of the heritage-listed former bank building.

2 King William St, Adelaide

Lenzerheide

Potato roschti at Lenzerheide.

Can you get a spiffier spud than the traditional Swiss dish that is potato roschti.

It was a must-have at CBD restaurant Alphutte from when it opened in 1983 until it closed about a decade ago. And the same can be said about Lenzerheide’s version which has been on the menu since it opened in 1989.

The thickly-grated, crisp, baked potato dish serves up to four people. Referred to as the “rich man’s hashbrown” by one reviewer, the Hawthorn restaurant’s roschti is thickly shredded potatoes, baked to crispy perfection and perfectly seasoned with herbs and a sprinkle of salt.

146 Belair Rd, Hawthorn

Olive Restaurant

Olive Restaurant. Pics: Instagram

MasterChef star Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis know very well how to use a potato for maximum flavour.

The Adelaide restaurateurs have two spud-a-licious dishes on the menu at their Mediterranean eatery in the city.

Their ricotta gnocchi, complete with a rich pork sausage and fennel ragu, is perfectly fluffy. Each pillow of potato is light and melt-in-your-mouth delightful, and it’s all topped with crispy cavolo nero and a generous shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Gnocchi at Olive Restaurant. Pics: Instagram

As for their new potatoes – which refers to a type of spud – they are boiled until just tender then fried until super crispy. The kitchen makes a spiced salt which is heavy on the sumac to season them with, then they’re served with sour cream which is cut with bay leaf oil which brings a lovely vibrancy to the dish.

86 Pirie St, Adelaide

Comida Hahndorf

Comida Hahndorf’s patatas bravas. Pics: Instagram

Spanish-style spuds are on the menu at this beloved eatery and garden in the Adelaide Hills. After several years in the Adelaide Central Market, its owners moved to Hahndorf in 2020, bringing its popular tapas dishes to the main street, including their version of patatas bravas.

The cubed and crispy fried potatoes here are topped with dollops of aioli, herbs and a tomato and chilli jam, earning rave reviews from customers.

Comida’s croquetas with leek, caramelised onion and manchego are another favourite tapas dish, full of flavour in every bite. Viva la potato!

100C Mount Barker Rd, Hahndorf