satisfying snacks: sweet potato chips

Though it seems much more daunting to make your own chips than it does to run to the store and buy a bag, I’ve become quite the fan of making them on my own lately. I’ve been making pita chips for years (an even simpler recipe than this one) and decided to give baked sweet potato chips a shot.

With the exception of a cookie sheet and clean hands, this is all you need to make your own chips at home:

{sweet potatoes, sea salt, olive oil, a peeler and a mandolin}

I start off by peeling the potatoes, though you don’t really have to if you give them a good scrub. Then I run them through one of my favorite little kitchen tools, the mandolin. This baby lets me slice everything from paper-thin potatoes for chips to delicate slivers of cucumber for lemon water. It takes a little muscle but it’s much easier than trying to make uniform slices with a knife. 

When you get to the little nub on the end though, just toss it. Those 10 extra chips you might be able to get out of it are not worth losing a fingertip.  

Next, I just toss slices in a bowl with salt and olive oil. When placing the potatoes on your cookie sheet, you have to make sure they are in ONE LAYER. I know, this step is the most long and boring part of the process but trust me, it’s worth it. My mom, who isn’t the most patient person on the planet, tried these last week and skipped this step. Needless to say, we ended up with less crunch and more mush.  

{amazingly, all of these chips came from just one potato} 

Once you pop them into the oven (set 400 degrees) you need to keep an eye on them. They bake up in less than 10 minutes and have a tendency to burn (especially the ones that are closest to the sides and back of your oven because those areas hold the most heat). 

Once you take them out, let them cool before serving to seal in the crunch-factor. Don’t leave them on the cookie sheet too long though or they’ll start to soak up the excess oil on the tray and can get soggy.

Then just serve and enjoy!