Ask Dr. Potato

Q: Years ago I stopped into a little roadhouse somewhere in the deep south. They didn’t have baked potatoes, they had turpentine boiled potato. It had to be the best potato I have ever eaten. Boiling a potato in turpentine does not sound too healthy to me so I would suppose it is more a name than an actual method. Ever hear of it? Know how to make them?

Q: Is it possible to "slow bake" potatoes at 250 degrees (cooking meat at this temp for several hours and can't do the potatoes at the higher temp)?

Q: I recently tried to boil some potatoes (purchased within the past week) that would not cook.  They remained hard and inedible after boiling more than 40 minutes, even though the pieces were only 2 inch cubes.  Please note that I have been cooking for over 40 years, so I am not asking how to cook potatoes in general. My specific questions are:  Why did this happen?  Is there anything to look for that would indicate such a problem with potatoes when I purchase them?  Is there anything I can do to salvage the potatoes if this happens again?

Q:  I am cooking for a local homeless group and would love some recipes for large roasting pans which won’t break my bank.  We are a group of 10 who use our own resources to provide, but I’m not skilled at cooking for large numbers with potatoes.  If you can share some recipes, I would be very grateful. Would the Turkey Shepherd Pie travel well and hold the heat?  Can I just increase the amounts by 4X?

Q: I have a ton of leftover mash potatoes from last night. I found a recipe for leftover mashed potato pancakes but it looks like it will make a lot of them. I was wondering if I could freeze them?

Q: I have been making fries at farmers markets for a while. I have been invited to do some festivals and have a question. I usually cut the fries the night before and soak them in water for about 12 hours before we use them. How long do fries have to soak in water before they are ready to fry?

Q: I am in charge of serving 60 men for a steak barbeque for a fishing tournament.  I will have available two large 5 burner gas barbeque grills, chafing dishes, and a couple of heavy duty two burner stoves.  I am considering serving baked potatoes.  I plan on pre-cooking the potatoes on Saturday, and refrigerating them until Tuesday night for the barbeque, at which time I will reheat them.  What suggestions can you give me?

Q: I’d like to peel and cut my Idaho® potatoes the night before.  I plan to cover them in cold water and store them in the refrigerator.  However, I have a question about that.  I’m making potato soup so I assume I want the starch in the water.  If I add 1 ½ Tbl of salt, or vinegar or lemon to the water, I’ll have to pour it off.  Will it work to not add anything to the water and use the soaking water for the soup?  If not and I pour off the water, will I be losing too much starch for my soup to thicken as much as the recipe would have otherwise?  Lastly, could I soak them in chicken broth vs. water and use the broth in the soup?  Mostly I’m concerned about losing the starch if I pour off liquid, be it water or broth.

Q: I have a historical question to ask. Was Morton’s Steakhouse the first major restaurant chain to feature giant baked Idaho® potatoes?

Q: I am looking for some inexpensive Idaho® potato appetizer ideas that don’t include a lot of meat proteins. Any ideas?