potato skins

[Chef M]

I have a ? about the usage for the insides. We have a set menu but offer lunch specials. could i freeze the insides for future use? if there is any. We do not offer breakfast. The waste is huge. any ideas would be helpfull.

[dinerminer]

If you are refering to the insides of a previously baked potato that you are carving out to make potato skins, I'd recommend that you throw them out.
As you are probably aware, baked potatoes are a potentially hazardous food. Unless handled properly, you may be asking for problems by keeping them and trying to use them. Besides, I suspect you are making enough off the skins to compensate for any loss on the innards. Sometimes you have to face the fact that not everything is usable.

[Chef M]

good point, thanks

[Plongeur]

Buy some cabbage and make Bubble & Squeak!

[Jolly Roger]

You have create some fun and hijinks by making little balls out of the potato and hiding them in co-workers pants pocket or clogs. Or maybe waiting for a co-worker to walk out to their car and initiating a potato battle!

[thetincook]

Fry up those insides or make croquettes. If you can't menu something made with the insides at least use them for family meal. It's not just the food cost your throwing out, its also the labor and energy costs too.

The guys were I used to work would scoop the insides out with the hinge end of a cheap pair of tongs (pretty much a flat strip of metal bent into a u), and kept the pieces together, and tossed them into the deep fry.

[lamington]

Make gnocchi.

[ExpatC]

This whole question just upsets me. I am getting a visual of a 300gram potato, baked then having 298grams thrown out. I am voting for the gnocchi but do SOMETHING with them. Sheesh!!!!!!!!!!! What a lot of waste.

[mudbug]

You could mix with some chopped onion and egg, for potato pancakes.

[Botanique]

I was thinking potato pancakes too, but those are best made with grated raw potato (more traditional). But you can throw anything in the deep fryer -- maybe a springboard on Mudbug's & others' ideas and create a new appetizer / bar quicky. Potato balls? Throw in a little salsa verde (so easy) or a spicy creamy cayenne dipping sauce and you're golden (no pun intended ha ha I just kill myself sometimes ) Or lamington's idea about gnocchi would be great as a lunch special -- also easy, not too time consuming with a simple sauce (butter, cream, cheese, herbs/alium, proscitutto/bacon, vino). I don't know what your menu is like, nor what your role in the decision. Good luck! Cheers.

[nowIamone]

Think about saving a percentage of the skins and make a twice baked potato. We are a dinner house and have the reverse problem. We scoop out the pot's add, granulated onion powder, s & p, sour cream and some sliced green onions and pile in the skins, put in the oven. We always have some left over, now and then I'll save the skins for a bar special, but usually throw out 1/3 or more.

We don't offer a baked pot by the way, only the 2x baked. Their a hit and a draw for us, sometimes offering them as special stuffed with seafood
(onion/garlic powder, s&p, a little heavy cream, dill, minced crab, scallops, shrimp and bake)

Bake the pot's the night before, next day pull out, use a plastic hoop to scoop the insides, leave the potato meat a little lumpy, coarsley mash, it makes a fluffier potato, add seasoning, return to shell, one pot to each 1/2 shell. Bake for a few (15 to 20 +/-minutes) when you smell them baking, pull them out. If they bake to long they can split open. We time so they are ready for our dinner hour. Then we cool and micro for the rest. Once prep gets the hang of it, it'll take 20 mins.

FOH loves it, no sour cream, bacon bit, chive, service!

[Chef M]

how long can i store the inners for, because usually we make the skins on the weakend and our lunch specials are m-f

[my mojo]

What about soups u guys? or a volute? that cream of anything soup or a sauce for something wrap them in bundles of platic and lable and freeze them you'll figure something out

[Chef M]

someone to;ld me u cant freeze them, which douse not make sence to me because part of the inners are on the skins we freeze. we do have soups that we use reds for. thanks.

[Chef Kaiser]

Potato in history was brought by Colunbus to Europe, France learned only throu Parmentier about the Pomme de terre (earth apple), well therefore the special soup named after him or even the potato cut parmentier named after him, was all about respect to him by the old French Chefs. When he brought it back when he came back home from a German war prison. well more can be said about culinary history..

Sure the inside of your potato can be used for many more preparations just think of mashed potato preparations like duchess, williams, berny, etc. think of the varations of the hash brown potatoes, of which the swiss roesti maybe is the most classical dish, think of gratin potatoes and etc. potato dishes are endless, i think over 365 days you could have a different dish on your menu just with the inside of the potato.

regards

Originally Posted by Chef M

I have a ? about the usage for the insides. We have a set menu but offer lunch specials. could i freeze the insides for future use? if there is any. We do not offer breakfast. The waste is huge. any ideas would be helpfull.