Cassetty says that potatoes should play the same role on your plate as other starchy foods, such as peas, rice, and pasta. And you want to right-size your portions of these carbohydrate-containing foods. “I always talk about carbs as being team players, because they operate best when you pair them with protein and fat, since that slows their absorption into your bloodstream,” she says. “The ratio you’re looking for is half a plate of nonstarchy vegetables, and then smaller portions of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats for the other half of your plate.”

Taub-Dix says her favorite way to prepare potatoes is to bake them and top them with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese and seasonings. Other options include black beans, salsa, and avocado. She also likes to roast them with a sprinkle of olive oil or avocado oil and a lot of seasonings. You can also roast potatoes and other veggies together on a sheet pan, so you get a lot of flavor.

To cook potatoes for mashed potatoes or potato salad, Taub-Dix suggests baking them or cooking them in the microwave instead of boiling them. That way, you don’t lose the nutrients in the water. The aforementioned book chaptersays a lot of the vitamin C and B6 is lost through cooking. Boiling them with the skin on preserves some of those nutrients, though.

Mashed potatoes often have high amounts of fat from butter and cream. “If you like mashed potatoes or stuffed potatoes, you don’t need to worry about eating them on occasion. If they’re only showing up at holiday meals, I wouldn’t worry about it,” Cassetty said. “But if they are showing up repeatedly on your plate, you might want to think about experimenting with healthier ingredients, like Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or a vegetable broth over butter. There are ways you can healthify those dishes.”

And what about french fries? They’re fried in oil or fat, so they’re a higher-calorie way to eat potatoes — about five times higher, according to “The Potato and Its Contribution.” But they still contain fiber and the nutrition of the potato. “I would say that eating french fries every day may not be a good idea if you’re trying to control your weight,” Taub-Dix said. “But french fries certainly can be enjoyed, and they do have value.” She recommends checking the ingredients list for fast-food or frozen fries, so you know what type of fat they’re fried in and whether they have additives or high sodium levels.