Pure potato crisps...fat free!

I know some recipes are simple...but I think this one might beat the lot!

potato...slice...cook

Erm that's it. I'll be off then.

Not so fast. These crisps are a great alternative to regular crisps and chips that would otherwise find their way into the tub of salsa or hummus. I took this recipe from the Forks over Knives Cookbook I received as a Christmas present. It has a great number of recipes as well as the intro to a plant based lifestyle...amazingly (considering how many cook books I have) many of the recipes gave a new spin to things in ways I hadn't come across before, so lots for me to try. I won't talk about the book any further as this isn't intended to be a promotional post of any sort, simply a link back to the recipe itself.

I served the crisps with a bowl of soup, it was a variant of this recipe with the beans I had to hand at the time (black beans) hence it doesn't look quite so appetising as the original. Since there is no oil, the crisps don't 'crunch' in the same way that regular crisps or chips do, so please don't expect them to as you'll likely be a little dissapointed. I enjoyed them in their own right as they have a crisp yet soft quality all at the same time, and they are firm enough to scoop dip onto, or in my case, soup.

The crispsness and length of cooking time, does very much depend on how thinly you slice the potato, obviously the edges will crisp before the middle of the chip does. I would advise using a mandolin (or similar) so that you can get a thin uniform slice approx 1mm thick, I sliced mine by hand and they were less uniform and up to 2mm thick on average. 

Feel free to sprinkle a little seasoning if desired. I appreciate that microwaving a potato to this degree might not be considered theoptimal nutritional standpoint, and I would totally agree with you, but these chips have no oil, and no other additions...pure potato with a little seasoning. So as an alternative to a deep fried chip I think this is a pretty healthy option indeed. A day later I also tried oven baking these chips, this method also works well, just be sure to use a non stick liner so that the chips can be removed easily from the baking sheet.

Recipe: pure potato chips

Ingredients:

1 potato (or as many as you like to make a larger batch)
seasoning to taste (I used approx. 1/4 tsp mixed cajun seasoning)

Method:

Slice the potato thinly and evenly- the thinner the better (unless you are aiming for a softer chip). Wash the slices to remove the starchy coating and lightly dry with kitchen towel.

Lay the slices in a thin even layer on a non stick lined baking sheet (if baking), or on a microwaveable plate, season if desired and bake for approx 15-20 mins at 140C (lower temp for longer to prevent edges burning too quickly). Or for approx 10 mins in the microwave (checking twice to flip over). Timings will vary depending on thickness.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.