Root chips

mmmmm - warm, fresh, root chips! I made beet, sweet potato, and carrot.

Ingredients

(nothing could be simpler!)

Root veggies – as many as you want

• Slice thinly
  (I got myself a specialized grater-like slicing tool that made a swift job of cutting many veggies into consistently thin slices – consistency is important for uniform cooking speed)

Vegetable oil (of your choice, but avoid olive oil or others with a low smoke point)

• Enough to fill a pot several inches deep

Excellent dip option

• 4 oz container plain Greek yogurt
• 2 oz blue cheese crumbles
• 1tb dill weed
• 1dash salt

>> mix and dip!

 

Bubbling beet chips!

Cooking Directions

Herein lies the art of chip making!  Don’t worry it’s an art you can master.  I only ruined about 1 carrot and half a sweet potato before I had it down.

• Heat the oil on a medium/high flame
• Drop several root slices into the hot oil at once – don’t overload your oil, the slices should be able to swirl around at a rolling oil boil
• Turn frequently to ensure even cooking (if you are not using a basket to force chips under oil in a deep fryer, they float at the top and the bottom side will get overdone as the top remains soggy)
• Cook chips fully – this is the one crucial direction!  If you take chips out too soon they will hold the oil, they’ll be greasy and soggy and won’t crisp up.  If you leave them in too long they will burn

( Here’s the magic trick I discovered – Oil appears to boil when you add fresh veggies.  This is because, as the veggies are heated, water comes out of the cooking vegetable.  The water must evaporate as the oil super-heats it, so air bubbles up rapidly.  As the water leaves the chip it will become fully cooked and crisp.  When the oil stops bubbling, this is your cue to remove the chips.)

• Ladle the chips out of the oil with a slotted utensil.
  Drop them into a colander or screen sieve to drain the oil.  While they are in the sieve, give it a few jolts to shake the excess oil from the chips.
• Shake on some salt or other seasonings to stick to remnant oil as you toss the chips.
• Shake chips out onto a paper towel to cool/dry and crisp up.

( Note – here is your test – if chips are fully cooked, they will let go of the oil.  If chips remain moist, oily, and soft – you should cook them longer.)

 

Snack time!