Monday, June 16, 2008

Can't eat just one: homemade potato chips

Another successful experiment! (Following the oh-so-delicious lasagna with asparagus, chard and queso fresco.) Last week I made a potato and garlic gratin using fresh garlic scapes. I used the potato and leek gratin recipe and just subbed in the garlic bulbs and greens. It was very garlicky fresh out of the oven, but had mellowed nicely by the next day. So that's one to try if you like garlic.

But I didn't use all the potatoes I'd sliced on the mandoline (it's a cheap Hoffritz one but does the job). I thought I'd better use them up yesterday before they went bad. There's no recipe, and I can't tell tell you exactly what factors made them turn out so well. The slices were a little dried out, which I think helps, and I fried them twice, having heard somewhere that double-frying is the trick. But maybe that's really just for french fries?

Anyhoo, I fried them briefly in a shallow bath of grapeseed oil (which has a high smoking point), drained them on paper towels, then fried them again. Sprinkled with fresh dill and Maldon salt, they were crispy and delicious.

I'm submitting this recipe to Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks celebrating the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient. The host this month is White on Rice Couple. If you would like to participate or to see the secret ingredient, check who's hosting next month.

16 comments:

  1. oh Lord. pretty picture; tasty chips. try rosemary next time too...THAT is amazing.

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  2. simply spectacular. send a bowl my way. minus the bloat. aren't mandolines just divine?

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  3. Now, I want a mandoline. Good tip about frying twice. Can't wait to try.

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  4. Those chips look great! I will have to try chips with dill.

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  5. What are garlic scapes? And maybe the frying twice has to do with the oil getting broken in. You read "How to Read a French Fry", right?

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  6. I'm a fry making vet and drying out and double frying are always helpful when going for 'crispy' with fried potatoes. In fact, I soak my tater slices, drain them and then pat them dry before the first fry.

    Then when the come out of the fat, I like to put them in a paper towel lined bowl, sprinkle them with salt and toss so that the excess oil is blotted and the seasonings are evenly distributed.

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  7. Good to know my instincts were right, Dana!

    Leah, garlic scapes are garlic shoots, the green stalks the bulb sends up. They're milder flavored than the actual bulb. You can buy them with the bulbs still attached; they look a lot like green onions (there's a picture in my post about the garlic and potato gratin).

    Kevin, they're quite yummy with all kinds of herbs.

    mbp, the Hoffritz one is pretty cheap. People rave about the good ones, but I can't justify the expense. But it's very handy for things like this. Divine, even, as pinknest says!

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  8. those look perfect......did you rinse them or soak them in water before hand?

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  9. So I have! Thanks, Slashfood!

    db, no, I didn't rinse or soak them, which I understand you should do to get rid of some of the starch. But they'd been sitting in a bowl in my fridge, loosely covered, for several days, so that probably changed things a bit.

    I used yellow potatoes, and I did peel them first.

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  10. Double frying is the secret ingredient of homemade potato chips. We make them often, and that second round in the grease is what perfects them.

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  11. Hi Kitt,
    Thanks for participating. Just a correction, the host for June's round up are Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple. Please email them at td (at) whiteonricecouple (dot) com so you can be included in Wednesday's round up. And include a link to their blog as the hosts of the potato challenge. Thanks!

    Your potato chips look great. I didn't know they could be doubly fried too.

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  12. Whoops! Fixed that! Sorry. Thanks for the heads up, and for starting the event.

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  13. All I can say is...OMG...this dish hits so close to my heart, literally. I just LOVE, LOVE potato chips, but I'm sure my arteries feel otherwise. These potato chips just look amazing!
    What a great experiment...now when will the first batch of KITT Potato Chips come out on the market? I would totally stand in line for a couple of bags of these. Just please remember to have a Salt N Vinegar and Spicy Japapeno flavor for me, will ya? Those are my favorite! :D

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