Ask Dr. Potato

Q: Dear Dr. Potato, I understand that ballparks across the nation are upgrading their food choices. Where can I find some great potato dishes to go with a great game?

Q: Dr. Potato, why do I love Waffle House-style hash browns more than ones I make at home? What do they do to the food service version that makes them so good? Are they partially dehydrated? Or maybe seasoned with some kind of chemical? I mean the shredded kind that come in boxes, not the deep-fried QSR formed hash brown.

Q: Do I have to blanch my potatoes, to make scalloped potatoes ahead of time?

Q: I see a lot of tips on making fresh cut fries on the internet and some seem to conflict each other. Is there one best way to be successful at serving my customers a fresh fry?

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Q: Does the www.idahopotato.com have a section just for consumer recipes? I am a professional chef, do you also have food service potato recipes? If I have potatoes and want to find a recipe for a scalloped potato casserole, is there a way to find more than just one on the web site?

Q: What size potato should I buy for my restaurant? I serve baked, homemade mashed and home fries (you know those cut up potatoes cooked on a griddle or flat top with onions and sometimes peppers or mushrooms).

Q: At a conference I overheard a chef say she was moving potatoes into the salad bowl on her menu, but never caught the rest of the conversation. Besides the obvious, potato salad... what might she have been talking about?

Q: I know people sing the praises of the perfect Idaho® French fry or mashed potatoes as a comfort food, but have you ever heard of fully grown adults getting so worked up about a potato dish at a restaurant that it becomes a special occasion, just to experience it week after week and year after year? Surely ruminating on favorite potato dishes is good for the creative soul.

Q: We have a restaurant an hour away from us that serves floppy raw fries. They’re cut like potato chips; about 1.5mm thick and deep fried just enough to be done. They’re dripping in grease and almost soggy. My husband is having a fit for me to make him some. I don’t have a deep fryer, just my trusty iron skillet about 3″ deep. Can you please tell me how to cook them? The internet is full of recipes for crispy fries, from what I’ve read people hate soggy fries, but they’re absolutely out of this world!!! We bought a mandolin v slicer to cut them on. What cooking method would you recommend?