Homemade Potato Chips

Homemade Potato Chips

It has been said that we, as Americans, would eat much less junk food if we made it ourselves, so...

The Challenge

Making a snack that is often taken for granted and can easily be bought at any local supermarket at home.

The Source

I originally saw this on an episode of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.

Ingredients

1 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large baking potatoes, such as Idaho, peeled and shaved into thin slices with a veggie peeler or mandoline
Peanut or veggie oil, for frying

Method

1. In a large container, combine the vinegar, kosher salt, sugar and 2 cups water. Whisk or shake to combine. Toss in the potatoes and refrigerate for 24 hours.

2. In a large wide pot, heat the oil for deep frying to 350° Fahrehneit. Remove the potatoes from the vinegar solution and gently pat dry to remove any excess water.

3. Set up a sheet tray lined with paper towels to land the chips on when they come out of the oil.

4. Working in batches, fry the potatoes until they are brown and crispy. Be careful not to overcrowd the oil, overcrowding will result in greasy limp chips rather than crispy crunchy ones.

5. When the chips come out of the oil, land them on the paper towel setup and give them a sprinkey dink of salt. Let cool and then store them in an airtight container.

Successful?

From a technical standpoint, yes. The chips were crunchy and light. From a taste standpoint, no. Per instructions, I left the potatoes in the brine a full twenty four hours, however my wife thought the chips were too salty. My toddler daughter sure ate them up. If I was to repeat this recipe again, I wouldn't leave the potatoes on the brine so long to prevent this from occuring in the future.