Had an Irish potato stout that was very nice. I assume you would need to boil the potatoes first but beyond that I have no idea what to do with them. Anyone used potatoes before? And yes, rice hulls will definitely be needed.
Should just have to boil and mash 'em and add them to the mash. You should be able to go 50% potatoes.
Trying to picture what potatoes would bring to the party, after all that starch converts. Body? Just sugar?
Maybe nothing but sugar. This beer was probably one of the smoothest stouts I have ever had. More to the point my wife is not a stout fan and loved it so either the potato brought something to the beer or these guys have really got it dialed in.
Well…a generous ladle of pork gravy, some salt and pepper and a good beer to wash it down. 
I would think sweet potatoes would be better for a stout.
Maybe try using instant mashed potatoes? I’d be willing to bet that they’d work at mash temps with no prior prep - similar to using flaked grains.
The solid content of a potato is about 85% carbohydrate and 15% protein. I would expect the glucose created by degrading the starch content of the potato would thin the beer out more than the protein would add body. My guess is that the potato thinned out the beer some and took away some of the grain flavor that gave the impression of smoothness.
Nice to see ya around again, Graham!
Here’s som einfo from BYO…http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/323-brewing-with-potatoes-techniques
Thanks Denny. Glad to be back. I’ve been in a real brewing slump for a while now but I judged the Ontario Brewing Awards the other day and really want to get back at it.
Thanks as well to everyone for your thoughts.