Snack Time:My Homemade Baked Potato Chips

What to eat? I want a snack, but I don’t want anything fattening, or greasy or too sweet. Well, I do but I shouldn’t. Yes, I could go for some hummus, but wait I like it with crackers. I could have a vegetable with it. Come on, you’ve never liked that and it’ll only make you obsess about something else to eat later. I could get some chips. No, no! WAIT! I can make some chips. If they sell baked potato chips, surely I can make my own. Yes, tonight it’s chips and hummus!
What you have just read, was the conversation that I had one day in my head when I wanted a snack. Honestly, I’ve had a version of this conversation more times that I can count, but lately it’s turned into a positive and often creative happening in the kitchen! Back to the story…
So, I purchased my hummus as I already had a few potatoes at home. My first attempt at making the chips was positive. A little on the burned side, but edible and I might add flavorful. I had found a few recipes online for the process and I put together my own spice blend. Feeling determined I tried several more times over the course of days resorting to figuring out my own baking process since they kept burning with the ones I researched. I knew I was on to something when my three year old son ate one, then another, and another and began chanting “Chips! Chips!” I knew then that I had “A Winner”, as he often says, not about the chips, just often and random.
I posted on my Instagram about a movie night I was having along with my favorite hummus, and you guessed it my chips! A high school friend asked me for the recipe and I told her that I would post it so I decided to make a blog post about it. One step to a healthier me can maybe help someone else. Enjoy!
I’ve tried this with white, red and purple potatoes. All are great! Actually, the purple potato, because of its density has replaced my need for ever buying crackers again!!
Process:
Rinse and pat dry a whole potato.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Thinly slice the potato. (I use a Tupperware Mandoline slicer turned at the #1 setting. I’ve tried #0 and the potatoes shredded. A #2 setting is good if you have a wavy blade which makes them equally delicious.)
Place potato chips on a towel fold it over the chips to dry them out. After a few minutes flip them and continue to dry.
Put potato chips in a bowl.
Drizzle 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over the potato chips and add salt and/or pepper or any spice blend you like.
Gently hand toss to prevent breaking the chips.
Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. Place the potato chips in single layers on the rack.
Bake for 12 ½ minutes, then rotate the cookie sheet 180 degrees and bake for another 12 ½ minutes. Remove from the oven to flip the chips over. Place back in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, then 3-5 minute intervals until brown and firm all over. Gently pinch in the sides and if it's doesn't bend it's ready. You will find that you will remove some chips with each interval. Approximate baking time for all potato chips to be done is 40-45 minutes.