We Americans love a good snack, right? Hell, we love a bad snack too, otherwise the snack companies would be forced into providing more healthy snacking options in their product lines.
Recently when we wanted something different with dinner we opted to thinly slice our potatoes and fry them like kettle chips (that’s “hand-cooked” for our UK readers) instead of making the more traditional French fries. The results were so delicious that we looked at each other wondering why we didn’t make more. Last night, we made more. They were so simple and tasty, I won’t be buying any more potato chips in the near future. What’s more, they contained exactly three ingredients:
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potatoes
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frying oil
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sea salt
If you came looking for preservatives, fillers, and chemical additives, you can move on. Not only were these homemade kettle chips crisp and delicious, they are additive-free. We made enough for dinner and enough for each of us to have as a side with our lunches today.
The slicer attachment on our KitchenAid made for quick prep work. All we do is wash the potatoes and plop them right into the slicer, peel intact, catching the slices in a large bowl of ice water. The water serves two purposes – first, it keeps the potatoes from turning brown and second, it removes excess starch.
The slices are drained and patted dry before being blanched for 2 minutes in 300 degree oil. Out of the fryer they go, while the oil is heated to 375. Then the potatoes are returned to the oil to cook until crisp and slightly brown. When they are removed from the oil and set to drain, sea salt is cracked over them. One of coolest things about homemade snacks is that you can control exactly what goes into them, until the store bought varieties.
In next month’s Food Challenge we will no doubt be experimenting with different flavored seasonings that work well with these kettle chips, but one thing is for sure – this easy to make snack is a keeper and one that will be a MEG favorite for years to come.
