Homemade Potato Chips

After an evening working out with Jillian, guess what I want to do? Sit down in front of the TV with a bottle of water and some potato chips. Yeah, I know that probably isn't the best course of action, but it truly is what I feel like doing. The big problem with that scenario is that I have very little self-control when it comes to an open bag of potato chips. I could probably eat the whole bag on my own. So, I've resisted the urge to buy them for the past few weeks. Instead, I've changed my post-workout snack to a Cara Cara navel orange. It's much healthier for me anyway.

However, I still really love potato chips! So, I thought that I'd try making some at home for when the potato chip craving hits. The beauty with making them myself is that I can control what they're made of AND how many I eat. After all, I gotta make them before I can eat them.

Using a mandoline slicer makes prepping the chips fast and easy. I got to try out the slicer that my dad bought for me at an in-grocery store infomercial-type presentation. (Thanks Dad!) Ideally, you want you slices to be about 1/16-inch thin to get a true potato chip feel. My slicer could only do about 1/8-inch so they did take longer to cook. However, they were still tasty! If you don't have a mandoline, you could try a potato peeler or just use a nice, sharp knife.

Homemade Potato Chips

1 Tablespoon (or less) olive oil
1 potato, peeled if desired
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
parchment paper

1. Slice your peeled (or washed and unpeeled) potato very thinly.
2. Pat the potato slices dry and then toss in a bowl with olive oil and salt. You may want to use your hands to make sure the olive oil gets distributed evenly. The slices have a tendency to stick together.
3. Cover a plate with parchment paper, and place the potato slices in an even layer without touching each other. If the slices touch, they will stick together.
4. Place in the microwave for about 3-8 minutes. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your slices and the wattage of your microwave oven. You'll need to experiment to find what works for you. Just watch them carefully, and add a minute or two of cook time as necessary. They will get a little more crisp once you remove them from the microwave. They can go from perfect to overcooked very quickly. BE CAREFUL when you remove the plate from the microwave from the oven -- it will be hot.

Don't like using the microwave? Try baking them in the oven on a parchment paper-lined cooking sheet. You'll have to experiment with the temperature and baking time.

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For other potato recipes, be sure to check out Ultimate Recipe Swap on Thursday at LifeasMOM.