KETTLE CHIPS
Time to invoke a bit of technology. The secret to this one is a mandoline. You can technically use a knife to accomplish this, but if you can cut perfect thickness 1/8th inch thick chips every time, wicked. Teach me. I promise, though, if you don't have a mandoline and you pick one up, you will thank me. It makes just about every chop job 10 times easier, and the money you save making your own (VASTLY SUPERIOR) potato chips will pay for the slicer in no time.
I can't find a good pic of kettle chips, so I made my own. This recipe is garlic parmesan chips. Pictured with it are my next 2 recipes. whiskey salsa, and roasted red pepper hummus. Sorry for the quality, the lighting is crap in here today and my camera hates life right now.
If you're wondering, yes. It lasted about a minute, after this pic was taken.
Ingredients: (this is for the garlic parmesan ones. you can omit the garlic and parmesan and make them anything you want, really.)
Potatoes. I use red, but you want any potato that's pretty starchy. russet potatoes are great.
canola oil or vegetable oil. MUST BE. They're the only oils that have a smoke point high enough to do the high temperature high duration frying that is needed for kettle chips without burning.
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt or kosher salt
garlic powder (you could smash garlic and infuse the flavor into the oil, but I find the flavor to be too muted for the extra cost)
onion powder
fresh grated parmesan cheese (the powdered stuff doesn't work here. It's got a strange flavor to it, it doesn't taste as pure)
So, in a deep fryer, get the oil to 375. No fryer? Well then, grab a big pot and a thermometer. Part of the trick to these things is that the oil has to be a consistent temperature. You'll be fiddling with the dial as you add more chips and the water from the potatoes cools the oil down. For a pot, you want at least an inch of oil. Save that oil, too. After a few batches it'll be well good and seasoned, and will make the chips taste better.
Slice your potatoes to an even 1/8 inch thickness. You want to add your slices to the heated oil one slice at a time, and work in small batches. Keep the chips moving. Flip them around and flip them over for even heating. They'll go for about a minute and a half to 2 minutes. You want to poke the middles to be sure the entire chip is firm and not soft, for all of the chips. When they're done, take them out and pop them on a paper towel. Season them. A bit of pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder. Grate on a bit of your parmesan. Shake them up to distribute the seasoning. You want to season them while warm, for the seasonings to stick. This means we'll be seasoning in layers. This is good, because if you overseason some of them you can underseason the rest and make up for it.
Seeing as how a bag of potatoes is about 4 bucks here, and I can make about 3 pounds of really high quality chips out of one bag, the amount of money you save for the work is alarming. A bag of my chips would be about a quarter, if that.
Feel free to experiment. Omit the parmesan and add some paprika, chipotle powder, and you've got a very servicable bbq chip. If you have any more ideas, please. Share. Try making a few batches 2 days before halloween, store them in an airtight plastic bag, and break them out at a party. I guarantee you'll be a hero. Everyone brings home made dip to parties, when's the last time you saw someone bring high quality home made kettle chips?
I can't find a good pic of kettle chips, so I made my own. This recipe is garlic parmesan chips. Pictured with it are my next 2 recipes. whiskey salsa, and roasted red pepper hummus. Sorry for the quality, the lighting is crap in here today and my camera hates life right now.
If you're wondering, yes. It lasted about a minute, after this pic was taken.
Ingredients: (this is for the garlic parmesan ones. you can omit the garlic and parmesan and make them anything you want, really.)
Potatoes. I use red, but you want any potato that's pretty starchy. russet potatoes are great.
canola oil or vegetable oil. MUST BE. They're the only oils that have a smoke point high enough to do the high temperature high duration frying that is needed for kettle chips without burning.
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt or kosher salt
garlic powder (you could smash garlic and infuse the flavor into the oil, but I find the flavor to be too muted for the extra cost)
onion powder
fresh grated parmesan cheese (the powdered stuff doesn't work here. It's got a strange flavor to it, it doesn't taste as pure)
So, in a deep fryer, get the oil to 375. No fryer? Well then, grab a big pot and a thermometer. Part of the trick to these things is that the oil has to be a consistent temperature. You'll be fiddling with the dial as you add more chips and the water from the potatoes cools the oil down. For a pot, you want at least an inch of oil. Save that oil, too. After a few batches it'll be well good and seasoned, and will make the chips taste better.
Slice your potatoes to an even 1/8 inch thickness. You want to add your slices to the heated oil one slice at a time, and work in small batches. Keep the chips moving. Flip them around and flip them over for even heating. They'll go for about a minute and a half to 2 minutes. You want to poke the middles to be sure the entire chip is firm and not soft, for all of the chips. When they're done, take them out and pop them on a paper towel. Season them. A bit of pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder. Grate on a bit of your parmesan. Shake them up to distribute the seasoning. You want to season them while warm, for the seasonings to stick. This means we'll be seasoning in layers. This is good, because if you overseason some of them you can underseason the rest and make up for it.
Seeing as how a bag of potatoes is about 4 bucks here, and I can make about 3 pounds of really high quality chips out of one bag, the amount of money you save for the work is alarming. A bag of my chips would be about a quarter, if that.
Feel free to experiment. Omit the parmesan and add some paprika, chipotle powder, and you've got a very servicable bbq chip. If you have any more ideas, please. Share. Try making a few batches 2 days before halloween, store them in an airtight plastic bag, and break them out at a party. I guarantee you'll be a hero. Everyone brings home made dip to parties, when's the last time you saw someone bring high quality home made kettle chips?