Ask Dr. Potato

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?

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)?

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?

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?

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?

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

For the past 6 months all the varieties of potato I have bought have been very watery and don't cook properly.  For instance, the baked potato is wet with no taste and is over cooked and mushy on the outside and raw in the center. With mashed potatoes, it just goes to slush.  Can you tell me if this is due to growing conditions or too cold a storage at the supermarket?

Is it ok to store Idaho® potatoes in the refrigerator?

Steak Houses seem to have re-introduced the twice stuffed baked potato as a side dish. Do you have a recipe?

I want to fix something with pork but also include potatoes in the same dish and serve it with a side of green vegetables to my dinner guests. Any ideas?