A while back, I bought a bag of potato chips and they were unlike any I had ever eaten. Their texture was firmer and crunchier than what is usually found in potato chips. They had a lovely tawny golden brown color. The explosion of flavor was savory and salty and a slight sweetness hummed in the background. They not only tasted good, they felt great, all the way down to my toes. That bag brought me pure pleasure! Why were these chips different? Curious, I read every word on the package, especially the ingredients. They were cooked in peanut oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Maybe the peanut oil was the reason they were so delicious; usually chips are made with less expensive and less flavorful canola or soybean oil.
Whenever I went to the grocery store, I went straight to the potato chips aisle to find that same brand again, but no luck. One day when I was at Randal’s I suggested that we get some peanut oil and make our own. We ordered a gallon of peanut oil and some sea salt right on the spot.
After the package arrived, Randal, his friend Keri, son Zaimon and I gathered around the Fry Daddy, an appliance that makes deep frying easy. We sliced some russet potatoes paper thin using my mandolin, a tool that quickly and uniformly slices. Into the fryer the potatoes went and we keenly watched the pot like it was a thriller on television or something. The potatoes sank to the bottom and when they were finished cooking they rose to the top. We fished them out, put them on a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkled them with salt. As they cooled they got crunchy. Peanut oil doesn’t absorb as much oil as other vegetable oils do so I tell myself that they are low calorie potato chips. Well, maybe.
The first chip was delicious, just as I had remembered them. The variations could be endless – I’d like to sprinkle them with smoked paprika. Randall ordered a container of sour cream and onion powder to add a tangy twist. How about using smoked sea salt? Or sea salt and vinegar? Amazon sells a jar of powdered sea salt and vinegar seasoning so it could happen.
Maybe it’s difficult to understand why anyone would get so excited over making potato chips. I’ve given that a great deal of consideration. Because we live in these frontier communities we have to be creative and think of ways to make our own entertainment. And to think of ways to make our own potato chips, if we want them to be cooked in peanut oil, that is.
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