Potato Chips - A Work in Progress

Today, I wanted to try making potato chips. I am trying to become less dependent on the grocery store and save money. We don't need potato chips, but they are fun to eat. So I decided to give it a try.

For a first shot, they turned out pretty good! I used this recipe as a guide.

Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- A clove of garlic
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut potatoes thin, about 1/16th of an inch. This is key. I don't think they'll turn out good if you don't do this. I have this handy little slicer that I got as a wedding gift. The first time I tried using it, I couldn't figure it out. But, I tried it again and it was like magic. It's one of the best kitchen tools around. My potatoes got super thin!

After I sliced them, I put them in a bowl of cold water to wash off the starch and keep them from going yellow. A few days ago, I tried making hash browns by shredding them, and they didn't turn out well, they got soggy and yellow really quick. I was afraid that'd happen here, but luckily it was different! Anyway, after I had them all cut up and in the cold water, I strained them and then rinsed them to get any remaining starch off. Then I patted them dry with a paper towel.

Sometime during this process, we need to pour some olive oil on the pan we are going to be using and then take a garlic clove, slice it in half and rub it all over the pan. Squeeze the garlic's oil onto the pan, it'll help give it flavor.  

I put them in a bowl and poured in some olive oil, salt and pepper. I then used a plate to cover the bowl and I shook it up. Don't be afraid to go a bit heavy on the pepper. I could have done more. I should have put the garlic cloves in the bowl while I shook it up. That might have helped give it more of a garlic flavor.

Afterwards, put the potato slices on the pan. The original recipe said have them about 1/4th an inch apart. I only wanted to use one pan, so I just covered the whole thing. Still turned out good.

They tasted good, but are a work in progress! You can see my oven gets hot on the sides of the pan...hahaha. Weird! Those burnt ones were good. Most were crispy and had a crunch. There were a few soggy ones, but there was quite a bit of oil by the time you consider the pan being covered and the potatoes soaked with it. 

These little guys were good, and I'm going to perfect my recipe and try new ideas and recipes. I don't want to have to buy potato chips at the store again. They aren't healthy and it costs a bit of money. The picture above doesn't look like a lot, because I had already eaten a few. But, I only used 2 smaller sized russet potatoes. So really, this didn't cost me much at all! 

If you try this, let me know how yours turned out!

- SamiMae