Microwave Potato Chips

I, along with many people I'm sure, have a love-hate relationship with chips. Love because, obviously, they taste delicious and come in so many tempting flavours. Hate because, obviously, they are addicting, and true to the popular Lays slogan, you can't eat just one. I am most definitely not one of those people (like my sister) who can daintily eat just a few chips then put the rest away, so that the bag lasts until the chips get stale. I can usually stop myself at half a bag (I'm talking a full sized bag), but there's a good chance the rest will get polished off the following day. I try to only buy the baked chips which are not nearly as bad as regular ones, but that just seems to give me an excuse to eat even more.

So when I first realized you can make potato chips at home, I was all over it. Homemade chips allow you to control the amount of fat that is added to the chips, as well as the serving size you have available to tempt you with. I thought that sticking to just one potato and baking it in the oven would be a great way to control my chip obsession. Unfortunately, I didn't have much success with the common oven baking method. Some chips would end up completely burnt, while others would still be raw. And by the time the oven was finally heated and the potatoes were cooked, I would usually have satisfied my snack craving with something else already.

So when I saw a post on Savory Sweet Life a while ago claiming that you could make potato chips in the microwave, I was a bit skeptical but more than willing to give it a try. And I was so glad I did - the chips come out perfectly crispy and evenly cooked in as little as five minutes. I've since made them many times, always with great results.

Microwave Potato Chips

From Savory Sweet Life

Serves 1-2
 
Slice up a small potato (russet or white potatoes work) as thinly as you possibly can. A mandoline would be ideal to use, but I’ve been able to do it with a really sharp knife. Alice at Savory Sweet Life says to only slice as much as you can fit in one batch at a time, because if you leave some slices sitting out waiting they will turn pink.

Cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit your microwave tray. Spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray and lay out your potato slices in a single layer, making sure they don't touch. Spray the tops with the cooking spray and season. I like salt, pepper, and oregano, but feel free to experiment with other spices!

Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes until the chips are golden. The time will vary depending on the microwave and size of the chips, so just keep an eye on them and stop once they start turning brown. Alice says to turn off the rotating function on your microwave but I have no idea how to do that and I find they turn out great with the rotating left on (I would imagine this also helps them cook more evenly).

Repeat with the rest of the potato. Enjoy!

If you want more traditional chip flavours, you can also use popcorn seasonings like salt and vinegar or dill pickle. My favourite chip flavour is ketchup, so I love coating both my popcorn and these chips in ketchup seasoning.

Side note: I was recently shocked to learn that ketchup chips don't exist in the States - how can this be?! I love making grocery shopping trips to the States specifically because their grocery stores have so many new and exciting products that we don't get here in Canada, but I don't think I could ever live without ketchup chips!

I'm wondering what chip flavours I can try next .. maybe some curry chips, or lemon pepper chips? If you've tried any good combinations, let me know in the comments!