Archive for March, 2011


Turpentine Potatoes?

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

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?

A. The method you are referring to was still in use when I started to work for the Idaho Potato Commission, some 22 years ago, at restaurant throughout the Southeast and one chain, Cracker Barrel. The potatoes, cooked in a rosin oil, were basically fried and the oil formed a hard black crust that sealed the outer surface, trapping the heat inside. The outer skin became very dark, almost like charcoal and could not be eaten in any sort of quantity. Try to explain the risk aversion to a health department official and you can see why this method basically became extinct, not because customers or guests didn’t like them, but because it was deemed potentially hazardous and could not easily be challenged, without spending lots of money on legal funds. So, while there were hopes that this method would eventually be grandfathered into acceptability, it was not to be.

Here’s some more info:
http://thiseclecticlife.com/2009/08/22/sweetie-pies-ribeyes-decatur-worlds-best-baked-tater/ A blog that shows cooking these commercially and then wrapping in brown paper or newspaper, slicing open and adding butter.

http://www.rosin-factory.com/Rosin_Baked_Potato.html A source for the purchase of the rosin oil.

If you want to replicate the intense heat and wonderful baked potato flavor, there is another method you might try. It is to coat an Idaho russet in a mixture of salt and egg, and then bake it off. You’ll need a wooden mallet to break the crust, and a brush to remove excess salt. But I can tell you from previous experience it is a one of a kind, delicious way to prepare a potato and wow your guests. Here is the recipe:

Salt Crusted Idaho Baked Potato
http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/id-543/

Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Foodservice, History, Q & A

Slow Baking Idaho® Potatoes

Monday, March 28th, 2011

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)?

A. Sure, it’s okay to cook them at 250 degrees.  They are done when the internal temp is 210 degree, which could take up to 4 ½ hours.

slow bake

Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Foodservice, Q & A

Potatoes That Will Not Cook

Friday, March 25th, 2011

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?

A. What you are describing can happen more frequently with some medium solids (starch) varieties, such as the Russet Norkotah. It typically is limited to the core of the potato when it occurs, sometimes referred to as the stem. During the growing season, unusually cold weather in a field may cause the potato matter to remain dense thru the length of the center of the potato. When baking, I have actually had it become stringy and resist even cooking it out in the microwave. Had not heard of any issues this crop year with that variety, but sounds like what you ran into.

Check the bag plastic quick lock, all Idaho potatoes have to list the variety. The Russet Norkotah is an early harvest variety; it comes on board in August to September and the storage is usually finished by February or March. Here are some details on what it looks like: http://directory.idahopotato.com/dir_variety.php?id=2.

Because of its nice even skin and oval appearance the Norkotah is quite popular with retailers. The Russet Burbank variety is what Idaho is typically known for, and comprises most of the production. It is used extensively in foodservice. Here is a link describing it: http://directory.idahopotato.com/dir_variety.php?id=1

All Idaho potatoes sold in bags are also required to display the “grown in Idaho” seal, so also look for this too.

Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Foodservice, Q & A

What is a Good Recipe to Cook For a Large Group?

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

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?

A. The Turkey Shepherd Pie will travel well and so will most of the casserole recipes we have on our web site. In general, you can increase the ingredients in the recipe by four, the usual exception are the spices. Quite often these are rounded up in writing a recipe so when you multiply by four it may prove to be too salty or heavy handed with a particular spice. So, I’d suggest putting in half the amount and tasting before adding all the salt for example.

Here is a section of our web site www.idahopotato.com that has many of the casserole dishes, just click on this link: http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/cat_id-3.

I have also had excellent luck in traveling with potatoes for an event using some of the scalloped or au gratin recipes, as they typically have enough sauce to keep the potatoes from drying out and this also holds in the heat very well.  Adding diced ham to a scalloped recipe is a relatively low cost and a good way to stretch the protein. This is one of my favorite scalloped potato dishes to add in a meat item, and it already serves 12 as a side dish: http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/cat_id-18/id-200

Also look in our recipes for some of the hash versions.  The Cuban Pork Hash might work well for you too, just skip topping it with a poached egg:  http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/cat_id-11/id-747

Just yesterday I was at Harvard University for a presentation to the chefs of several dishes using American Lamb and Idaho Potatoes. One recipe was basically a potato hash with ground lamb (beef or pork or diced ham would work too) and it was just as delicious after sitting on the steam table line for 1 hour as it was when we first tasted it. The flavors blended together very well.

Posted in Consumer, Q & A, Recipes

Using Leftover Mashed Potatoes for Pancakes and Croquettes

Monday, March 21st, 2011

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?

A. Once the potatoes are thoroughly cooked you can freeze them. You’ll still need to use them up in one to two weeks to keep the potatoes from turning gray, unless they are coated on the outside with something such as a breading.

Potato pancakes are a good option; I would also consider doing a potato croquette: taking fillings to mix in with the mashed potatoes and then rolling the outer surface in a coating of bread crumbs. Here are a couple of examples:
http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/id-636/
http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/id-178/

And here is a wild one, deep fried Idaho mashed potatoes:
http://www.idahopotato.com/recipes/cat_id-14/id-391

Posted in Consumer, Foodservice, Q & A

Soaking Fries in Water?

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

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?

A. This is an unusual question if I am following you correctly. Typically the question is “how long” can I hold the potatoes in water before they turn gray or come out soggy?  The potatoes can actually be used right away after cutting them, just rinse the cut potatoes until the water runs clear and you have successfully removed most of the excess starch and sugar.

Posted in Consumer, Foodservice, Q & A

Pre-cooking Baked Idaho® Potatoes

Friday, March 11th, 2011

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?

A. Once the potatoes are cooked you do need to refrigerate them. Don’t wrap them in foil to bake, as you want to get the excess water baked out of the potatoes so they are not steamed.  Also, if the potatoes are sealed in foil it is sort of like canning vegetables and can cause a food safety issue called botulism.  When you reheat them it’s fine to wrap them in foil.  Note, the potatoes, when initially baked, need to get up to an internal temp of 185° F before removing them from the, cooling to room temp and then chilling.

Have fun!

Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Food Safety, Q & A

Idaho® Potatoes and Potato Soup

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

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.

A. These are all good questions.  When making fresh fries I have found when cutting the potatoes and storing them in water overnight there is usually a little starch that is at the bottom of the container and can be kept for later use as a thickening agent for soups or starches by just pouring off the water slowly.

The lemon juice or white wine vinegar won’t add much to the overall flavor, so I usually just use the water as needed without any negative results. Adding salt to the water will flavor the potatoes, so you probably should drain that off before making the soup. The cut potatoes should have enough starch, in any case, to work well as a thickener. Yes, you can soak the potatoes in chicken broth, again, I would refrigerate the broth just like the water when added to the cut potatoes.

Here is a little secret you may want to try for thickening soups… keep some dry instant potatoes on hand and add a little to the soup mixture to thicken. I like this method because you can add as much as you want. Give it a try.

Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Giant Baked Idaho® Potatoes at Morton’s Steakhouse

Monday, March 7th, 2011

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

A. Morton’s of Chicago has been a terrific supporter of Idaho® potatoes over the years, not only with their huge baked potatoes but also with several other equally large portioned potato side dishes. I really love the founder’s recipe book which was introduced just a few years ago (http://www.amazon.com/Mortons-Steak-Bible-Legendary-Steakhouse/dp/1400097940).

Actually, the pioneer in serving giant baked potatoes was a man named Dario Toffenetti, who ended up with restaurants in Chicago, New York City and a hotel in Miami.  He was an avid Idaho® potato supporter and one time found out about the availability of some ginormous spuds that were going to be sold as cattle feed, and he promptly said he would take a rail car of them to try out in one of his restaurants in Chicago.  For years these were featured as loaded “Genuine Jumbo Mealy Idaho® Baked Potatoes” and served hot right off the fire for 25¢!

See the picture below. Today we certainly would advise Mr. Toffenetti to not display the potatoes in the window as the skin will turn green from exposure to light.  And, we’d wonder about the already plated potatoes in the window tasting as good as the ones out of the oven fires.  With plenty of rich creamery butter he might not be able to legally say: “Partake for your health’s sake” unless the dairy portion was not quite so ample.  We know now that a 5.3 ounce baked potato is about 110 calories so a “one pounder” is only about 350 calories… the potato is healthy by itself, it’s just what you top it with that you need to do in  moderation to be able to say it’s healthy.

Giant Baked Idaho® Potatoes

Posted in Consumer, Foodservice, History, Q & A

Affordable Appetizers with Idaho® Potatoes

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

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

A. Thanks, a good question. More and more I see chefs reducing the portion of proteins unless the dish is an entrée. They have really concentrated on little tastes of items from the sea, such as shrimp or scallops, or a small portion of fish such, as arctic char, in the appetizer section and have done exactly what you asked about in your question… added in vegetarian appetizers such as mushrooms, or incorporated the protein into a formed product such as homemade tots, flavored risotto (try it with potatoes some time: Idaho® Potato Risotto with Black Truffles).  My favorite idea starter or appetizer is the common croquette, using mashed Idaho® potatoes, fresh or the dry forms, and forming them into a ball around a set of flavorful ingredients such as cheese, bacon, chorizo, etc. The recipe that follows was the Grand Prize winner in a themed “Happy Hour” contest: Porcupine Idaho® Potatoes with Hot Pepper Jelly Dipping Sauce.

For more recipe ideas from that contest check out this link:
http://foodservice.idahopotato.com/happyhour

Posted in Food Safety, Q & A

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