Ask Dr. Potato

Q: Do you have any great recipes for casseroles?

Q: Since we serve bread with every meal it is hard to charge for an appetizer that is also made with bread, such as bruschetta. Can you make bruschetta with potatoes?

Q: I want to test out my culinary creativity and wow my guests with an unusual scalloped potato recipe. Do you have any suggestions?

Q: The 10-pound bag of potatoes I bought a week ago have gone a little soft and have sprouted roots ranging from 2 to 6 inches long. Can I cut these off and still eat the potatoes?

Q: What’s the best way to cook frozen, par-fried potatoes? Should I defrost them first before refrying?

Q: I saw somewhere that said to use citric acid or vinegar in the water so your French fries won’t turn brown.  Which one is better to use and how much do you put into the water?

Q: I need to wash 30 lbs of potatoes, what is the quickest and easiest way to do it?

Q: What causes blanch time to go up when making French fries with low solids potatoes? What is the mechanism at work here?

Q: I want to make a casserole dish ahead of time that calls for thawed hash browns. Can I combine all of the ingredients, defrost the hash browns, and return the uncooked hash browns back to the freezer?

Q: I have been using a 90 count russet burbank for my fries. They have not held their crispiness long enough for me to deliver a crispy fry at the table.  I spoke with my purveyor and they recommended I try a 60 count Idaho russet burbank.  I was surprised I had to buy such a large potato to accomplish this. I was thinking of cutting them in half before putting them through our cutter.  Can you confirm that a bigger potato will produce a crispier fry (with proper blanching at 325°F and re-frying at 350°F)?