You read that right: Boise is home to something called the "Ice Cream Potato."
Despite seeing a prepackaged ice cream potato from a different brand at a convenience store, I headed to the home of the original Ice Cream Potato, the Westside Drive In, which also happens to be one of the city's most beloved and iconic spots. Local chef Lou Aaron has apparently spent 40 years tweaking the recipe and perfecting the potato.
Here's what eating the unique dessert is like.
The Westside Drive In is a beloved local institution.
It was super cute and colorful.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
Everyone I met told me to check it out.
The drive-through feels wholesome and retro thanks to its pretty pastel colors.
Westside Drive In felt retro and nostalgic.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
Even the music fit: Adding to the old-school ambiance were The Mamas & the Papas, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys blasting from speakers while I was there.
It was featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," and boy, they won't let you forget it.
There were a few of these posters around.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
His face was plastered all over.
The unique snack has also been featured on "Man vs. Food" and been recreated by celebrity chefs like Martha Stewart and Sandra Lee.
It is actually quite famous.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
I had no idea what to expect when I walked up to the counter to order my Ice Cream Potato, which cost $4.89.
You can order at the counter and sit in, but most people ordered from the drive-thru.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
Sitting down in the heated plastic tent pitched outside to provide seating, I suspiciously eyed my dessert, which came in a clear plastic box.
At first glance, it truly looked like a baked potato covered in whipped cream and chocolate bits.
It's like an optical illusion dessert: it really looks like a baked potato.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
The chocolate sauce and bits of Oreo are meant to look like "dirt."
Upon slicing into it, I was relieved to find that it's not actually a sweet spud: It's just a smartly camouflaged sundae.
The vanilla ice cream is very hard, almost frozen solid in order to keep its shape.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
The Ice Cream Potato is vanilla ice cream shaped like a potato, and dusted in cocoa powder in a way that makes it look like brown skin. It is then topped with whipped cream, bits of Oreo, and peanuts, and swimming in chocolate sauce.
It was delicious. I wasn't planning on eating much of it, but ended up eating almost the entire thing.
I ate most of it.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
The ice cream was creamy and very rich (an article on Today says it has "exceptionally high butter fat content"), and I love both peanuts and Oreos, so I was quite pleased with the toppings. I didn't love the chocolate sauce, which was too dark and bitter for me, but I generally prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate so that was to be expected.
The Ice Cream Potato is popular with both visitors and locals.
Chef Lou has spent 40 years perfecting the ice cream potato.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
According to Today, the Westside Drive-In estimates that they sell more than 1,000 a month, and around 10,000 in nine days when they set up shop at the Western Idaho Fair.
They also have a trailer that sells them that people can rent for parties.
Personally, I loved the optical-illusion dessert. Underneath its deceptive appearance, the Ice Cream Potato was a solid sundae with top-notch ingredients.
The Westside Drive In has been around for 63 years.Sophie-Claire Hoeller/Insider
You cannot go wrong with vanilla ice cream and Oreos, in my opinion.
This story is part of our Next Stop series, in which Insider visits the 10 hottest US destinations for 2020. Click here to read more and see all the places we're exploring.
Sophie is a trilingual journalist who grew up in Germany. When she isn't writing about travel, she's traveling.Previously, she was an editor at Business Insider. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's degree from Boston University.Sophie has slept in everything from a stylish potato in Idaho to a hotel made of ice in Canada, and has traveled in vehicles ranging from RVs to the world's largest cruise ship for Insider. She also spearheaded Insider's Next Stop series.Check back here or follow her on Instagram.
