 Ice cream potato from Westside Drive In | |
| Type | Ice cream |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Idaho |
| Main ingredients | Ice cream, cocoa |
The ice cream potato is a unique dessert of ice cream resembling a loaded baked potato. [1] [2] The dish does not contain any potato. [3] Lou Aaron, of Westside Drive In in Boise, Idaho, created the dish. [3] It can be found there year-round and various fairs and outdoor events seasonally. [1] [4] It is difficult to acquire outside of Idaho. [4]
The dish is an acknowledgement of the importance of the potato in Idaho's culture, as it is also the state vegetable. [5]
The creator, Lou Aaron, reportedly spent 40 years perfecting the recipe. [5] [6] It is estimated Westside Drive In sells over 1,000 a month and 10,000 in nine days at the Western Idaho Fair. [5] [6]
Vanilla ice cream is molded into a potato shape and coated with cocoa powder to mimic brown skin. [1] The ice cream potato is then topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and chocolate syrup. [1] Some vendors offer variations with yellow frosting as "butter" and green sprinkles as "chives." [1]
It can also be found prepackaged in convenience stores. [5]
The Westside hehehDrive-In and its ice cream potato were featured on a Boise-focused episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food in 2018. [7]