We (or should it be I!) have been craving some crispy snacky treats. We don’t often buy snack food and on occasion I do make some nut crackers, but that wasn’t cutting it. I NEEDED something with some crunch and with pizzazz and excitement! Crispy carrot sticks wasn’t going to cut it.
I had been thinking about what I could do about these cravings for a few days when I happened to be hanging out with my grandmother. She and Pap (my grandfather) were talking about a friend who used to make the most amazing potato chips! They were telling me how they did it and it sure sounded simple! But did I really want to deep fry them?!?!?

So I got to thinking about it and thought, “Why can’t I use the dehydrator? I can add a bit of oil to them prior to drying, but they would be so much better for you!” So that is what I determined to do! They were certainly crunchy and addictive! We munched through them in a few hours and I’ve made a few more batches since! It does take a lot of potatoes and they shrink down to nothing! But boy do they taste good!

Potato Chips

Ingredients:

4-5 medium potatoes
Olive or coconut oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
You will need to slice the potatoes very thinly. I didn’t remove the skin because I used the red skin potatoes and the skin isn’t very tough. You may need to remove it if it is too thick or tough. I also used a [amazon_link id=”B003L0OP1G” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]mandoline[/amazon_link] set just a little thicker than 1/8 of an inch to slice them. It worked like a charm and in less than 3 minutes I had all the potatoes sliced and they were super uniform with no waste!
Drizzle just enough oil over them to coat lightly. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Just remember… as the potatoes shrink, the spices don’t. So start with a smaller amount first… unless you like really peppery chips!
Spread out on the dehydrator trays and dry for about 12-24 hours or to the desired crispness. If you have thicker slices it may take a bit longer. Then be sure to store them in an airtight container because they don’t retain their crispness for very long.

Variations:

1. Use garlic salt instead of plain salt for a different flavor.
2. Try onion powder and salt
3. Use a meat rub to get a flavor closer to a BBQ taste
4. Old Bay seasoning might get a coastal taste!
5. Also sweet potatoes flavored with just olive oil and salt are fantastic

Have fun and let me know what flavors you come up with!