Ask Dr. Potato

Q: What happens if you pre-cook (blanch) fresh cut 3/8Inch potatoes 350 degrees, in lieu of the recommended 250 degrees?

Q: I have a question involving making fresh French fries at county fairs and special events. Can you get by with fresh cutting the fries and deep frying? Or do you have to cut, rinse in cold water, then fry at two different temperatures to get them to taste good, with a crisp on the outside, and a fluffy texture inside? At events water is scarce and running water with drain is almost impossible. I want to make a good product but am limited with water usage. Some have suggested using frozen fries instead of fresh but I don’t think that would be received well at events. Please advise on best method and give me an idea of the different outcomes if steps are omitted.

Q: I see you work with several food bloggers on creative ways to fix Idaho potatoes. Any suggestions on their best mashed potato recipes?

Q: I cut up vegetables and put them along with a chuck roast in a freezer bag, to have a meal ready for the crock pot when I had surgery. I took the bag out of the freezer last night, dumped the ingredients in the crock pot and refrigerated until this morning. It has been cooking on low for 5 hours and all of the potatoes are black. After researching, I found I should have blanched them first.  Are they still good to eat?

Q: My family is not that keen on cornbread stuffing for the turkey, and I can’t find the recipe that the Idaho Potato Commission, posted once about using potatoes for stuffing. Any thoughts?

Q: High prices on cartons of potatoes are killing me, what happened, versus last year at this same time?

Q: I have read on some of your posts to not over mix my mashed potatoes and to use the Russet Burbank variety, as they can withstand some abuse and not turn gluey.  My boyfriend doesn’t like lumpy mashed potatoes. Is there a recipe I can surprise him with for Thanksgiving?

Q: I know Thanksgiving is a popular time to serve Turkey and Christmas hams and are what many people request for Christmas. My husband is a beef and potatoes kind of guy. Got any ideas?

Q: I dreamt about creamy mashed potatoes last night. Does Idaho® potatoes have a recipe?

Q: I would like to know if I can partially cook my potatoes and then slice them thinly, like Hasselback potatoes, and freeze them for later use? I enjoy grilling my potatoes with onion between the slices, but after work there just isn’t enough time. Freezing them would make things easier, and then I could just grab it out of the freezer and pop it on the grill.