Everyone loves potatoes — especially in Wisconsin. Quite frankly, if you say you don’t like potatoes whatsoever, I think I may hate you a little bit. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right, I am a good judge of character. One person we don’t hate here at Let’s Go Wisconsin is Pewaukee legend JJ Watt, who gave us his definitive potato rankings!
No, he’s not ranking potato varieties. Rather, JJ Watt has ranked his top five potato preparations or ways to eat potatoes. Let’s go over the rankings from the future NFL Hall of Famer and see if his rankings are as stellar as his playing career was.
JJ Watt’s OFFICIAL Potato Power Rankings For Let’s Go Wisconsin
1. Tater Tot
JJ Watt received criticism for his take that tater tots are the best preparation of potatoes. This is the take that sparked the entire set of rankings, and it had fans calling him wrong, old and many other things.
For those who criticize this take, it’s possible you haven’t had tater tots in their best form. Not all “tots” are from the pocket of Napoleon Dynamite or soggy in your grade school’s lunch room. A pristinely fried, crunchy tot is a thing of beauty, and I also believe it has the highest ceiling of any potato preparation.
2. Waffle Fry
French fries are clearly a very popular way to eat potatoes, but Watt specified the waffle fry as his second overall choice. While this may not be my choice, I asked our local waffle fry defender Luke Reimer why he loves them so much, and he had this to say:
“Waffle Fries are the perfect combination of surface area and crispiness. With that large surface area, if they are seasoned right, every bite seems like heaven. The large area also gives you ample area for sauce or any other toppings. There is a reason that Kwik Trip sells waffle fries over other potato variations.” Can’t argue with that.
3. Potato Pancakes
This entry to the potato power rankings threw many of JJ Watt’s followers for a loop, but I think most of us in Wisconsin have had potato pancakes. If you haven’t, find yourself a Norske Nook or bang on the door of every German or Norwegian lady over 70 that you know! Potato pancakes are absolutely worthy of the number three spot, and it was a great sleeper pick by Watt.
Potato pancakes are essentially hash browns that are bound together with egg and flour, then cooked on a griddle. Get some with a bit of applesauce on the side.
4. Hash Browns
Okay… this pick is a little bit redundant. Again, it feels like potato pancakes could’ve served as JJ Watt’s hash brown fix, but let’s hear him out. McDonald’s hash browns obviously slap, and cheesy hash browns will always steal the show at every Wisconsin family function, so maybe he’s onto something.
5. Mashed Potatoes
Do you love America? If you do, then you better love mashed potatoes as well. This is a low-ceiling, high-floor pick, but mashed potatoes almost always get the job done. You can dress them up with some garlic or get some mashed skin-on reds if you’re feeling fancy. Hell, if you’re balling on a budget, you could complete a meal with some instant mash and all will still be A-OK.
I’m happy to see mashed potatoes in the rankings, but even happier Watt didn’t make the basic opinion of putting them higher.
What do you think of JJ Watt’s rankings? Did he nail the top five ways to eat potatoes, or do you think there were some snubbed spuds? Share this article and let us know! For more starchy info, keep reading!
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What Are the Most Popular Ways to Eat Potatoes?
After reading the potato power rankings from JJ Watt, you may be wondering what the most popular ways to eat potatoes are. Well, we decided to ask our A.I. overlords, ChatGPT, what the most popular potato preparations are worldwide.
Is this information correct? Zero clue. Enjoy!
1. French Fries
2. Mashed Potatoes
3. Potato Chips
4. Roasted Potatoes
5. Boiled Potatoes
ChatGPT’s OFFICIAL Potato Power Rankings
Naturally, our final question for ChatGPT had to be what it believed to be the best way to prepare potatoes. Here are the results:
1. Roasted Potatoes
2. Mashed Potatoes
3. Baked Potatoes
4. Potato Wedges
5. Potato Salad
Baked potato? Boring. Potato salad?! What are we doing here? I don’t think we need to worry about artificial intelligence for a while.
Let us know what your favorite way to eat potatoes is. We would also be appreciative if you shared this article with your friends, family and enemies!
While I think tater tots have the highest ceiling, I’m also a bit of a scalloped potato boy. Or some potato dumplings… or lefse?! Potatoes are good, man. Let us know your top spud.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and NewsBreak for more great content. Let’s Go Wisconsin!
