(Baked) Homemade Potato Chips

Last week, I decided to do some experimenting in the kitchen with a few extra taters I had hanging around. Armed with some knowledge of fry-making and a few cooking myths I’d heard, I was going to make homemade potato chips. Part of the batch I would make in the microwave and part in the oven. Have a cook-off of sorts. Except the only one doing the tasting was me. Typical.

As my first batch went into the oven, I worked on the microwave version. And a few minutes later, while my first batch was still in the oven, my microwave version was ready, golden and crispy with an blissfully solid crunch. Homemade potato chips! In mere minutes! In the microwave! And they’re darned good!

The only problem was that there’s only so many potato slices you can carefully arrange on a plate at once to go into that nuker. There would have to be multiple microwaved batches to equal just one of the oven batch but sweet baby Jesus, my mind buzzed with determination to get it done.

Somewhere in the middle of my 3rd microwave batch, my joy died. Actually, my microwave died. Just gave me one last, weak beep to signal the time was up. I raced over to it and, like any sane person would do, tried pressing every single button on the panel. Nada. I opened and closed it. Zilch. No lights, no beeps, nothing but an exterior that felt suspiciously warm to touch.

I stood at the counter, pondering how I would call my husband at work to explain to him that I had broken the microwave. Whoever built this house had the bright idea of making a custom built cubby for this microwave amongst the cabinets and no normal microwave would fit into this precious space. Obviously, the microwave we have there no longer exists. So, we’d have an empty black hole, a constant reminder of my potato chip exploits.

As I alternately panicked and brainstormed, I ate every last wonderful, glorious, extra crispy potato chip that had come out of the now defunct microwave.

The potato chips you see here – they came out of the oven. And they’re still life-changing. They’re still crispy and golden, with a shattering crunch that allows you to block out all other noise as you chew. You’ll still marvel over how easy it is to make your own chips and you’ll likely have 10 more ideas on how to make them next time. They’re just not as instantly gratifying as chips! In minutes! In the microwave!

Several hours later, long after I had photographed the chips, eaten a fair share, and put away the rest, I noticed the microwave screen glaring at me with a glowing green “reset” message. It was alive! Apparently I had overheated the Godforsaken thing.

So I flipped it the bird, grabbed my keys, and went to the mall.

Is there a lesson here? Yes. It’s never a good idea to shop for skinny jeans with a belly full of homemade potato chips, microwaved or not.

(Baked) Homemade Potato Chips

2 Russet Potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 Sweet Potatoes, scrubbed clean
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Salt and Pepper, or other seasonings

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line several baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Slice the potatoes paper thin, preferably with a mandolin (I used the number 2 setting on this mandolin), or with a very sharp knife.

For the sweet potatoes, toss the slices in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange the slices in an even layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with your seasonings.

For the Russet potatoes, soak the potato slices in warm tap water for 10 minutes. Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and blot them dry. (I arranged the slices in an even layer on a dishtowel, rolled up the towel and gently pressed on the roll).

In a large bowl, toss the dried potato slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange the slices in an even layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with your seasonings.

Bake the potatoes 13-15 minutes, flipping the sliced potatoes halfway through, until golden and crispy. Remove the potatoes and allow them to cool on the sheet 5 minutes. Transfer the potato chips to a wire rack to allow them to cool completely. Store in a tightly sealed container.

Or, if microwaving, arrange the slices on a microwave safe plate that has been greased with oil. Microwave on high 2-4 minutes per side.

Yields 4-6 snack-sized servings