Homemade Baked Chips

You’re not going to believe these chips. They’re baked, not fried, but that’s not the impressive part. This is: they’re baked in the microwave. And they actually get crispy. Really! All you need is a potato, and seasonings if you wish (something like sea salt, olive oil, maybe some cumin or cayenne or rosemary… the possibilities are endless). I made mine with only sea salt, but next time, I’d consider tossing the raw potato slices with olive oil or safflower oil first.

So what you do is either scrub the potato clean or peel it, then slice it very thinly – I used the food processor, but a mandoline would be good, too. Soak the potato slices in cold water, and pat them dry before making each batch. Season the first batch as you will, then spread the slices on a plate lined with a paper towel so that they are not touching (a potato will yield roughly between 4 and 6 batches). Microwave the slices for 3 minutes at 100% power, then turn all the slices over and microwave for 3 minutes at 50% power. If they are not quite crisp enough yet, continue microwaving at 50% power in 1-minute intervals. Remember to use oven mitts when handling the plate – the potatoes may not be burning hot, but a plate that’s been in the microwave for 30 minutes will be!

The result is crispy potato chips, without all the calories (or mess) of deep frying. If you feel like this is something you want to do often, then it may be worth investing in a silicone tray designed for this: this reduces the need for oil (as the chips won’t stick to anything), and you can stack up to 3 trays at a time, so you’d cut your baking time in half. Plus, as the tray has holes for ventilation, you may not even need to flip the chips. At this point, I don’t think I’d make chips often enough to justify buying a few trays, but if you like the recipe enough, go for it! I served them as a side for veggie burgers here.