Ask Dr. Potato

Q: I recently saw a post from Danielle Kartes of Rustic Joyful Food about her Christmas Idaho Potato Round-up. Do you happen to have that?

Q: Can I use the Easy Baker potatoes for potato salad if I unwrap them and clean them?

Q: Often I would like to serve baked potatoes with meat I have cooked in the oven. If I am cooking the meat at a lower oven temp - 325F, for example, how can I cook the potatoes?

Q: How long should potatoes be immersed in water before frying?

Q: What do I do with my leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes?

Q: Does the plastic wrap covering the microwaveable potatoes absorb into the product. Have any tests been done for residual plasticizers found in the cooked potato?

Q: I recently read a post from Danielle Kartes of Rustic Joyful Food about visiting an Idaho potato harvest. Do you have it by chance?

Q: I grew up in Utah/Idaho/Wyoming and potatoes were always full of flavor and delicious. But since I moved to California in 2000, I have been dismayed that normal Russet potatoes are bland and flavorless. Google always tells me Burbank are better than norkota but my experience here in CA is that Norkota are better (but still bland) and Burbank are totally flavorless. So I only buy Yukon Gold or Purple potatoes from South America. But I miss a good old Idaho baked potato like I grew up with. The Burbank russets here in CA may say IDAHO on the bag but they have no flavor. So I'm mystified - the potatoes here taste like they were grown in sand with chemical fertilizer rather than being grown in rich soil. I'd love any suggestions for how I can find good baking potatoes here in Northern California. Thanks!

Q: I am catering a wedding of 130 people, Roasted Potatoes is one of the items, Wedding is at 2:00pm, can I cut and prep the potatoes the day before and leave in refrigerator in water, roast them in the morning and keep in a warming electric roaster? Will they loose there crunch this way? I have chafing dishes for serving but will only be using one for potatoes and will need to keep the rest warm. The venue does not have an oven. Also, what would be your recommendation for how many pounds I will need? I was thinking along the line of 75 lbs? Bride asked for extra potatoes :-)

Q: We will be passing out for baking 40 potatoes to each person in our group preparing for a small town summer festival. All potatoes will be wrapped initially in foil to prevent contamination during this time of covid. I had suggested 375 degrees for between 90 and 120 minutes. Is there a better way?