Chips ahoy!

Ok, maybe that title made you think of chocolate chips, but I'm talking about actual potato chips (although it has no relevance to pirates, it was the first clever thing that came to my mind...). In any case, potato chips are the first recipe I made out of the new book. I narrowed down the choice to chips as I already had potatoes in the fridge, and, as I have already shared, I love using the mandoline!

So, away I went. Directions were not that difficult to follow, and the beauty thing with this recipe is that you bake them in the oven and not deep fry them (although the book did have both options...). After slicing them thinly, you lightly oil a few cookie sheets and lay the potatoes, careful not to overlap (I was surprised at how many slices you get from just two potatoes!). The book was not clear on whether or not to wash the slices, so I just put them on after cutting them. Bake them in a 300 degree oven until crisp, then lightly salt and cool on racks.

They turned out really nicely, but very brown, as you can tell. I wasn't sure if that was due to the potato I used or the heat of the oven, but they didn't taste burnt. The side that was in the oil was a little bit greasier than I would have liked, but at least it gave the salt something to stick to. 

I did want repeat the process again (Matt gobbled up that batch in no time!), this time using parchment paper instead of oil. I also rinsed the potatoes after slicing to see if this would make a difference. And for one sheet, I salted the potatoes  before baking. The second batch turned out just as good, but as you would imagine, much drier. And the downside to that was that the salt had nothing to stick to. But salting them pre-baking worked like a charm! Not quite sure which method I prefer yet; the oil is probably easiest, but the parchment makes for some easy clean up! In either case, we have fresh potato chips in 40 minutes, so what's not to like about that?!?!

If you'd like to try at home, here's how you do it:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Oil baking sheets with neutral vegetable oil.
2. Scrub, dry, and slice potatoes about 1/16 inch thick. Peel or don't.
3. Arrange slices in a single layer, making sure not to have them overlap.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until chips are thoroughly dried throughout, testing the center of each chip for doneness.
5. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
6. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

They will keep for about a month.... if you can get them to last that long!