Make your own chips: fun, easy and absurdly delicious

Sure, you can pick up a bag from the store for a few pennies, but few things are as fun and delicious to make yourself as chips. Season them as simply or as fancily as you like, and we think the work and effort you put in perfectly cancels out the unhealthiness. And you’ve never felt more strongly that you’re eating vegetables than with these chips!

You can go all out with the potatoes you choose; will you go for sweet potato, a beautiful, evenly sized waxy potato, or make lovely little chips from red-skinned Roseval varieties? They’re all equally delicious, and be sure to have your flavorings ready. The Japanese seasoning mix furikake is fantastic on them, but so is a little mix of smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder. Try making an earthy version with mushroom powder and thyme, or an exotic one with Indian garam masala. And if you’re in the mood for something simple and pure, a sprinkle of beautiful salt such as Maldon or Camargue salt is all you need. En-joy!

How to make the best chips yourself

• Scrub the potatoes well or peel them. Whatever you prefer! Leaving them unpeeled will give you a slightly more rustic result. Just make sure to remove all the dirt and blemishes.
• Cut them into thin slices. You can use a mandoline, but don’t worry if the slices aren’t all paper-thin. Be honest: if you pull a chip from a bag that’s twice as thick as the rest, you’re delighted, right?! What is important is that they’re all more or less the same thickness, so some don’t burn while the rest still needs to cook. But you can also do this by hand (with a little patience, precision and a properly sharp knife).
• Rinse them under the tap, then place them in a large bowl of cold water for half an hour. This is an important step that removes some of the starch, allowing the chips to fry extra crisp later.
• Now dry the slices very thoroughly. Really separate them one by one, place them on a tea towel and pat them dry. You want as little splattering as possible in that hot oil!
• Take a large, heavy-bottomed pan with high sides and add a layer of sunflower or rapeseed oil (in any case, an oil that can be heated properly) about 2 cm deep.
• Heat over medium heat to approximately 175° C. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, test it with one thoroughly dried slice. If it immediately starts to bubble and sizzle gently, the temperature is right.
• If you can barely see or hear any sizzling, the oil is still too cold; if there are large bubbles and lots of noise, it’s too hot.
• Using a metal slotted spoon, carefully place a layer of potato slices in the oil, turning them after a short while if necessary, and fry until beautifully golden brown.
• After about three minutes, remove them from the oil and place them on a layer of paper towels or on a rack over a baking sheet to drain.
• Sprinkle with salt and/or seasoning immediately, while the oil hasn’t completely soaked in or drained away.
• Repeat with the remaining slices, checking the oil temperature before each batch.
• Let them cool completely; this is essential for crispiness, even though staying away from them is ridiculously difficult.

They’re best eaten the same day, and should be kept for no more than a day or two. They’ll have lost some of their crispness by then, so you’d better reward your hard work by carrying those chips straight to the couch in a bowl as soon as they’ve cooled (yes, a bottle of wine or a beer naturally belongs with them) and eating them!

Also read:

• These are the most delicious things to eat with your IPA
• Why you should eat your chips with Turkish yogurt from now on
• Recipe: pasta chips