Ask Dr. Potato

Q: How can I spice up my Hash dishes this year?

Q: What are some things I can do to make potato salads even more exciting?

Q: I had made some mashed potatoes and I accidently left them out for 3 hours, were they safe to serve after being left out?

Q: I was reading a recent issue of Food & Wine magazine and saw a recipe for a potato peel tortilla, and it got me wondering about whether potato peels can be bought in the supermarket. The recipe called for 4 cups of peels, which struck me as being a lot of potatoes. I Googled potato peels and many references came up, usually around "don't throw your peels away" or "how to make use of potato peels." It got me thinking further about whether somebody like an Ore-Ida sells potato peels. Why not? They're healthful and there seems to be an abundance of ways to work with them.

Q: If the bag in the supermarket says simply Idaho baking potato is that automatically a russet?

Q: Can you freeze German potato salad (no mayo/dairy)?

Q: Suddenly the potatoes I purchased taste like dirt; even after washing, peeling and boiling the dirt taste doesn't go away. What can I do to remedy this?

Q: Can I slice potatoes with the skin on, wrap in foil and keep in the refrigerator without the potatoes turning gray or black. I will be grilling them 4-5 hours after prepping them

Q: Today I cut open my potato and found that the middle was black. What cause this to happen and are they still consumable?

Q: They are not out of date, and I'm not at all worried about the consistency, but I would like to know what the specific risk is in eating.  I'm studying food safety and sanitation right now, and the only issue addressed relative to potatoes is baked ones that are improperly stored.